Everything Has Changed
by KaylsDaughterofHades
Summary: It had been almost five years since the accident and Sally has moved on with her life. She is just a few weeks from graduating with Poseidon from NYU when they learn a shocking truth that changes everything they believed was true and now the pair have to learn what they should have learned years ago as they welcome someone they loved back home. (Currently on Indefinite Hiatus).
1. Introduction

Everything Has Changed

 _ **A/N:**_ _hello everyone, it's me, at long last with the start of the sequel to Youthful Times. This story is a really big deal for me and I am super excited about it. This is the prologue, I decided to post it early but on the 6_ _th_ _of July is when the official story will start but i thought that i would give you this as a preview into the story itself. So hope you like the introduction into the sequel._

Prologue

...:: _Sally Jackson_ ::...

Time, something we have no control over. It had been almost five years since the accident and so far, everything was going well. I was so close to achieving my BA in Creative Writing and English which has always been my dream. Well apart from my dream of going to NYU with the man I have always loved.

Poseidon Olympia, a man who had strived to protect, care and love me with all of his being because he is and has always stayed as the same amazing man he has always been. He was currently finishing his or Bachelor of Science with an accompaniment major in marine biology.

He really planned out what he wanted to do with his life from the beginning and he even still had a working job at the aquarium whilst I spent my time at home or in the library, finishing up the necessary tasks and assignments I need for class. The workload is no joke but its worth it because in under two months Poseidon and I will both be graduating.

In all honesty, these past four, nearly five years had been a tornado of emotions, heartache, healing and mending myself, putting back together the pieces of my broken soul and in all honesty, I couldn't have done it without Poseidon.

Christmas eve, we had reconciled and slowly but surely, I had started to heal, slowly because every day I made more and more progress. If it weren't for my family, my friends, for everyone who loves and supports me, I wouldn't still be here if it weren't for all of them. Through all the months of therapy, the hours of catch up I had to do in order to maintain my grade and graduate, they stood by my through it all and in just over a month, I graduate from NYU.

I was glad that Poseidon had taken a gap year and stood by me through it all, it just showed me the reason why I loved him as much as I did. I don't know how he managed to put up with me and my emotional explosions and outbursts. At times I thought he would walk out on me for good this time but he never did. He had kept his promise, he promised to never leave me, and he never did.

No matter how many times I tried to convince myself that I tried to convince myself that I truly did deserve him, I just found myself so undeserving of that very incredible man who by some miracle still loved me even after everything that I had put him through. It was hard to believe that I had such an incredible life even after everything I had been through.

The latest tragedy was my dad having a heart attack in his prison cell, but the sad thing was, three months ago, on April 15th, he passed away due to the heart attack. My mother had been so devastated, and so was I. I had visited him with my mother and Poseidon, we had been repairing the broken shambles of our relationship and slowly, we were becoming close again.

I had sent him letters every week, letting him know how I was doing, especially after I lost Percy. He had truly wanted to be there for me, he called every Friday to see how therapy and counselling was going, to see how I was doing. I already missed him like crazy, I still struggled sometimes to remember that he wasn't here anymore. Sometimes I still wait at the phone, expecting him to call, or get all excited on Monday's for the arrival of his letter.

Then I remember that they are never coming again.

I know it's sad but it's hard for to remember that he isn't here anymore. It was the same with Percy but to me now, I know he isn't here. It took a long time for me to let go of the self blame and move on with my life like I have now. We aren't that far away from the day of the accident, the day he died. Poseidon and I would both be at home, and we were both, more me than Poseidon, were finally ready to finally go back into that room and pack it all up.

I was finally ready to let my baby go, but little did I know that the next morning, my entire life was about to change and it all started on the morning of the 6th of July where everything started like any other normal day, until there was a knock the door...

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _I know it's short but that is the official intro. If you haven't read my first story, Youthful Times, it's alright but I do suggest you read it because it will help this story make a whole lot more sense when you start reading this. So I will see you all on the 6_ _th_ _of July. I love you, please review, favourite, follow and for those who had been waiting for this sequel, I thoroughly hope you like the Title and the summary. Tell me what you thought. Bye for now everyone._


	2. Hurtful Surprises

Everything Has Changed

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey everyone, I am back and this is the official first chapter of the sequel to Youthful Times. Hope you like this first chapter because i planned this big time so lets hope all the effort and hard work I put into this pays off and after you read this chapter, you wont find me cause I will be hiding._

 _ ***hides behind a rock***_

 _Enjoy even though I know you will want to kill me. a lot of questions that never got answered in Youthful Times will finally be answered so please, enjoy._

* * *

Chapter One: Hurtful Surprises

...:: _Sally POV_ ::...

Today started like any other Wednesday, I was up and about at 4.30 this morning, seated at my desk, still fighting to finish my assignment for class. Last night Poseidon managed to coax me to bed at midnight but I set my alarm to get me up early so I can finish it in time for class. Thank the Gods I am almost finished with this essay because according to the clock on my phone, it was 6.30 in the morning. I also would have known what the time was without the clock because Poseidon just walked in the front door.

Since we started our studies at NYU, Poseidon changed his morning routine. He gets up at about 5.30, goes for a run and by six he is in the pool warming up for his day. He's in the door by 6.30, and always heads straight to the shower. By 7 he is dressed and ready and making breakfast for the both of us.

Yeah, when you live with a somewhat mental planner like Poseidon who sticks to the same routine day in and day out, you tend to memorize the routine of said partner after a while.

He stood there with a towel around his waist, his blue shirt slung over his left shoulder, his trainers in his left hand. I quickly turned back so he wouldn't catch me staring because I had drooled slightly for a moment when he ran his hand through his wet black locks causing his muscles to flex.

Now don't get me wrong, when I was in high school, Poseidon was hot but now, at age 23, he had definitely filled out and had definitely grown up. He had decided that he wanted to grow a beard, and I smiled at the thought. At the moment, he had a stubble and I just loved how rugged and hot it made him look and yet it gave him this almost look of maturity on him.

It ran along his jaw and chin, running between his nose and top lip, it was relatively thick but at the same time, it looked thin, trimmed and neat. It was rough and yet ticklish against my skin each time he kissed me and I just loved how it felt against my skin whenever he kissed me or rested his chin in the crook of my neck when he hugged me from behind whenever we lay in bed or cuddled on the couch.

Now I loved it when I was in his arms because as I said, he had filled out, his muscles had definitely grown more powerful to accustom the broader shoulders of his. I promise you I felt like he would crush me any minute because that's how powerful he looked. You could say he looked like a Greek God which was very true because he really did look that good cause he was taller, like almost a head taller than me now.

He may look big and scary but he is such a teddy bear who would do anything to have me in his arms and I loved every second of it.

I heard nothing and assumed that Poseidon had gone to shower so I got back to work. My fingers flew across the keyboard as inspiration flew out of me a raging river onto the page. I was really in the zone where I had completely shut out the world and got right into it. Before I knew it, I zoomed in to two hundred and twenty percent and was half way through my read through, doing my corrections and that when I felt a warm breeze blow against my neck.

"Morning beautiful." A deep breathy voice spoke right next to my ear sending chills all the way down my spine. I knew exactly who it was and the chills got even more defined when I felt the rough hair of his distinct black stubble rub against my neck as his warm lips pressed against my cheek.

I could tell he hadn't brushed his teeth yet but he had obviously had a mint because I could detect that breathy after breeze of spearmint every time he breathed out. I could smell the lingering scent of chlorine that lingered on his skin which made me dizzy and I squeezed my legs together and tried not to bit my bottom lip cause he would tease me about it.

I could never work when he was this close to me and he did this every morning to me, finding it amusing to tease me and make me feel like I was about to melt into a pool of melted butter the longer he teased me. "You know I can't work with you hovering like my mother did when I had to do homework in high school."

I could hear him smirk as he let out a deep, low chuckle right by my ear, "I know very well what I am doing my dear." He said as his arms snaked around my waist and his stubble brushed against my cheek. "Don't I get my morning kiss, love?" He said as his hand cupped my chin and gently turned my face so I was looking directly at him.

"You still have morning breath," I said with a smirk as I turn back to the screen, "and I still have to finish this read through so I can get ready for school, Poseidon." He hadn't moved, not even an inch as he turned me to face him again and claimed my lips with his. It was brief and short, lasted no more than a few seconds before he pulled away with a knowing smirk. He knew I would never pull away and he liked using that to his advantage.

"That's all I wanted." He said as he headed straight to the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Want French toast and bacon or blue pancakes with maple syrup today?" Yeah, Poseidon really enjoyed cooking, although the only thing he could really cook was breakfast foods, whilst I handled the rest while he did simple tasks to help me here and there.

"Blue pancakes but shouldn't you be in the shower?" I asked with a confused tone as I read through my assignment.

"I'm waiting for you because I think we'd save some money on our water bill as well as save water if we just showered together." I froze mid read, a blush instantly started rising up my neck, my cheeks already heating up hotter than waffle iron as I started biting my bottom lip between my teeth. Yes, I am still very shy around him and self conscious about my body. Hey, he has always had the same effect on me for years and he just loves teasing me like no tomorrow.

Poseidon Olympia is the bane of my existence. He thrives on embarrassing me and teasing me. I breathed in as I rolled my eyes and finished off reading my assignment and double checking it before I was finally happy with it. I quickly set it to print, making sure to add my name and the summary for the teacher before I printed it out and filed it in my folder.

Poseidon was finished making the batter for the pancakes by the time I was done so I got out the pan and took the bowl from Poseidon's hands, causing him to pout. "You go and shower, I'll make breakfast for a change." I said, not letting my resolve waver as I started making the pancakes. "Hurry up unless you want your pancakes to get cold."

Poseidon grumbled a fine but didn't make a move before his hands rested on my hips and turned me round, before I could answer, his lips descended on mine, claiming yet another kiss. His left hand still rested on my hip whilst the other tenderly cupped my cheek as his lips moved slowly again me, but enough to make me melt into it.

My hands just rested against the edge of the counter whilst he made it perfectly clear through this soft delicate kiss that I was his. I missed his lips on mine when he pulled away and strutted out the room with a shit eating grin on his face. I stood frozen on the spot for a moment, I never got tired of him doing that but sweet baby Jesus this man was trying to kill me and in my opinion he was pretty close to succeeding. I got right to making the pancakes, smiling at the blue colour of the pancakes as I flipped the pancake.

I was in the middle of flipping the last one when there was a knock at the door. "Poseidon, pancakes are ready!" I called out as I put the pancake on top of my stack and put the pan in the sink when there was another knock at the door. "Coming," I called out as I washed my hands and dried them and headed to the door.

When I opened the door I was surprised to see none other than Hestia Olympia standing there dressed like she was going to work in her white button-up blouse, black blazer, skirt and heels. "Hello, Sally." She greeted curtly but there was something about her tone that had me worried.

"Hestia, what are you doing here?" I asked in a confused voice, she was supposed to out of town on a case but she was standing here in front of me.

"It's not just me here to see you, Sally." Hestia said as she moved off to the side and there stood a very short man, he looked to be about 5'0 with really beady eyes but for a short guy he was really buff too. He had curly brown/brick red hair and a wispy goatee. He had on a black suit and baby blue tie.

"Hello Miss Jackson." He greeted in a gruff voice as he picked up his briefcase that is on the floor. "I am detective Gleeson Hedge and I wish that we were here under better circumstances but it is imperative that I speak with both you and Mr. Olympia." He said in a formal, professional manor but his rough voice made it all the more serious.

"Is everything alright, Sally?" Poseidon asked as he came up behind me, dressed in his work uniform, still towelling his hair. I turned to him and noticed the same confusion I had on my face on his as he addressed his sister, "Hestia? What are you doing here? Who is that? What is going on here?" Poseidon rambled on questioningly as his eyes went between the detective and his sister.

"Mr. Olympia, I know this is all confusing but please, if you allow us to come in, all will be explained." Detective Gleeson asked and I instantly moved out the way and allowed them to walk into the lounge where they got seated.

"Can I get you some tea or coffee?" I asked, just to be polite but both shook their heads. "I apologize for my attire, I was about to go and get ready when you arrived." I said as I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing a pair of Poseidon's boxers and a tank top with a silk black night gown that was open. I quickly tied the robe around my waist, effectively closing the gown as I sat down next to Poseidon and rested my hands in my lap.

"What is this all about?" Poseidon asked, picking up his cup of coffee from the table that he had poured for himself.

The detective looked at Hestia who nodded at him. He had set a briefcase on his lap and opened out, pulling something out, possible a file because he was flipping through it. "Miss Jackson, does the name Themis Ugliano ring any bells?" I looked at Poseidon with a confused gaze.

"Not the first name but the surname rings a bell. Our friend, well my friend at first, Alison dated someone by the name of Gabe Ugliano." I answered slowly as I turned to face him. "Who is this Themis Ugliano?"

The detective answered by handing me a picture and I instantly recognized her blonde hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and her Hazel eyes deep in thought. She was the lady who had come to my seventeenth birthday party and said she was dad's attorney. "I recognize her?" Poseidon said before I could. When he continued though, it confused me, "When Sally woke up from her coma, I bumped into a nurse at the hospital, I couldn't put a finger on who she was but she is the woman that I knew as Sally's dad's attorney. She worked as a part time nurse according to Sally's dad?"

The detective's jaw tensed. "She doesn't and never did." He answered slowly which caused both of us to frown in pure and utter confusion. "Themis Ugliano is Gabe Ugliano's mother. He went to the same school as the two of you but dropped out before Christmas the year of your accident. He is, or should I say was a drug dealer and his mother wasn't a nurse however, she wasn't an attorney anymore. She had her license revoked after your father went into jail." He said firmly.

"And why are you telling us this?" Poseidon asked as he placed his hand on my thigh but I didn't remove my gaze from Hestia.

"The reason I am here is because there was an anonymous tip dropped that there was a doctor that tried to declare a new born as a still born when in fact the child was healthy and breathing." The detective said as he flipped a page in his book. "Mr. Olympia, correct that the name of the doctor that performed the emergency cesarean section on Miss Jackson was named, Dr Howard Claymore?"

"Yes." Poseidon answered, confusion flowing through his voice as he spoke.

"Well Dr. Howard Claymore was the one reported in the tip so we investigated, looked through all of his emails, contacts dating back and we had found out nothing until we found Miss Jackson's name in one of his emails." He examined the page as he spoke, "And we discovered that a frequent conversationalist of his was Miss Ugliano and during their conversations, we found out something that thereby involved Miss Hestia Olympia over here."

"Hestia, what is going on here?" I asked, almost begged, more confused than ever as to what was really going on here.

Hestia sighed as she continued on for the detective, "Detective Hedge had discovered that in the emails that Themis had an agreement with Dr. Howard that concerned the birth of your baby." I froze, our baby. Percy, our son, what did my dead son have to do with this.

"In the email conversations, the day of your accident and the declaration of your son's death, August 18th, Dr. Hoard Claymore emailed Themis Ugliano and stated," he lifted up the paper, putting on a pair of reading glasses and read off a piece of paper, "I have done what you required. The father of the child, Poseidon Olympia has been informed of the death of his child. As of now, Miss Sally Jackson is a coma due to the accident." Hearing that just confused me even more, why were they talking about me and Poseidon and our baby. "The child had experienced trauma in the womb and was birthed as a still born, however... _"_ The detective sighed, "I think it's best if you and Mr. Olympia read this."

He offered out the paper and I took it and looked down at the paper and read;

* * *

 **From:** _Dr Howard Claymore drhclaymore .zw  
_ **To:** _themisugliano  
_ **Date:** _Wed, Aug 18, 2015 at 1.45 PM  
_ **Subject:** _Sally Jackson's Son_

* * *

 _Dear Miss Ugliano_

 _I have done what you required. The father of the child, Poseidon Olympia has been informed of the 'death' of his child. As of now, Miss Sally Jackson is a coma due to the accident. The child had experienced trauma in the womb and was birthed as a still born, however I was able to revive him thanks to the help of your son, Mr. Gabe Ugliano who assisted me during the surgery, like you required. The baby is currently being incubated in a private ward room that only I am allowed in and he has been registered under the name Perseus Ugliano as you required. The child is healthy but needs to grow some more which is why he is in the incubator. I have done as you required concerning his birth certificate and other stuff you requested in our last meeting and I look forward to receiving my payment in full and seeing you visit your new son._

 _Yours sincerely  
Dr Howard Claymore_

* * *

My hand trembled as I read the letter, my eyes glassing over, disbelief flowing through me. "No, this can't be real. It just can't." I said in a shaky voice, shaking my head in disbelief. It couldn't be possible. It just couldn't.

Hestia remained silent as the detective spoke, "We arrested Dr. Howard and proceeded to Miss Ugliano's home on another lead. We'd been tracking her son who had had been caught selling drugs on multiple occasions and we had chased him to the house and when we got there, we found a little boy I called Miss Olympia but at the time, we didn't know about the affiliation between you and Miss Olympia." He said sadly as he placed a picture on the table and I looked at it with tear filled eyes. The little boy was the spitting image of Poseidon, from the messy black hair to the deep green eyes to his face itself.

"When I saw him, I was shocked at first," Hestia finally spoke up, "The similarity between Poseidon and the boy was uncanny. I denied relation at first, even when I was showed the emails but I just had this feeling inside me so I did what I do best. I investigated and researched Themis and and pulled the boy's birth certificate and he has you and Poseidon listed as his birth parents." Hestia said with a hesitant tone as she looked at me.

"It can't be our child, Hestia. Percy died, he can't be alive. That's not our son. Our son is dead." Poseidon said in a firm voice as I just remained frozen, staring at the photo.

"Neither did I Poseidon, that was until Gleeson went into the child's room and showed me this." Hestia reached in her bag and pulled out a blanket and laid it out on the table and by that point, my heart fell into my stomach as a mixture of a gasp and sob escaped my lips. There was no denying the recognition of that blanket, no not a blanket, a quilt, the quilt that my mother and Poseidon's mother had made for Percy.

Even though it was old and worn down, I still recognised the detailed beach scene with a family, and the skilfully stitched image of a woman sitting on the sand, staring at the sunset as a man with black hair and a little boy on his shoulders. I remembered when Poseidon told me had had actually dreamed that exact image and had told his mother about it and they made this for us.

I even remembered the logo they had stitched on it, 'Family Forever.' But what made it more recognisable was the hand stitching I had down on the top corner of the blanket. I had stitched a name, his name, a name that I had never got to give to my son when he was born. _Percy._

I hadn't been in Percy's room for years. The last I was in there was the day Poseidon and I fought and he walked out on me until Christmas Eve. And then it hit me. I had searched for the blanket the first day I got back home from the hospital but I never found it. I burst into tears because I wanted to find it but ended up hugging a plush toy black horse to my chest day in and day out.

It hit me like a freight train. I pulled the quilt off the table and hugged it to my chest, tears pouring from my eyes as fast as a raging river but the sobs escaping my lips faster than I can breathe. _This isn't real, it can't be._ It just can't be but all the evidence proves it. Everything I had believed almost five years ago were thrown out the window and it was confirmed when Hestia said a phrase that only solidified the situation.

"Sally, Percy didn't die like you thought he did." I didn't think he was dead, I was told he was dead and I believed it, Poseidon believed it, we all believed it. I couldn't stop the sobs, the tears, the shattering feeling of my heart crumbling into dust in the wind as Poseidon wrapped his arms around me and held me. He didn't say anything; all I did was cry as loud as I had ever done before.

Almost five years. My Percy, my angel, my baby... my son had been alive for all this time and I didn't even know it. Only one word escaped my mouth, "Why?" I just repeated it. Why had the doctor said he was dead when he wasn't? Why did Themis Ugliano, the woman who was my father's attorney take my son away from me? Why, why, why?!

Why did this happen to us?

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Well everyone… that is the beginning plotline of this story, if any of you read my fic, Youthful Times that was the Prequel for this, then for those who didn't peg that this was my plan all along, then I got yah. for those who all believed that baby Percy had died, oh the reviews from that chapter were so emotional and writing that chapter brought tears to my eyes. Ha ha ha, I am evil, and now the real story begins and I am excited for this. You will see why I decided to have Percy so young in this very soon._

 _To all the new readers, thank you for taking your time to look at my story, hope you all enjoyed that prologue because prepare, this story is going to be interesting. Hope you all enjoyed, so don't forget to favourite, follow, and REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, the more you all review, the quicker I might update the next part. He he he, love you all guys, see you in the next update. I haven't decided when I will update, i am gonna decide soon so you'll just have to wait and see when I decide but it will be a Thursday._

 _Anyway, today marks the day i posted the first chapter of Youthful Times so celebratory virtual cookies for everyone and thank you for giving me 25 reviews for the introduction. Awesome sauce guys. Let me end this review by saying thanks to you all. Gotta run peeps. See you soon with chapter 2._

 _Love you all. I promise it shouldn't be too long a wait but we will see. See you all later._


	3. Believe It or Not

Everything Has Changed

 _ **A/N:** hey everyone. Did ya miss me. Ha ha ha, of course you did. Sorry it took some time to get this out, a whole lot of stress on me at the moment, writing and publishing five ongoing stories at once is hectic but I am somehow doing it. Hope you are all excited for the next chapter because I am. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed and is now following and have Favorited this story, I am so excited about this and i hope you are excited to go on this journey with you all._

Chapter Two: Believe It or Not

...:: _Sally POV_ ::...

No words or feelings could describe what I am feeling right now, holding the blanket against me after just being told that my son hadn't died. I just sobbed, and sobbed and sobbed, I couldn't find the will to move because in this very moment, I wanted to find a deep abyss and jump into it so I could hide from the world.

The world, the fates, all cruel mistresses who enjoyed getting off on watching innocent people like me and Poseidon suffer. What did I even do to deserve this? I never once considered me getting pregnant with Percy as a curse, he was a blessing, he brought me and Poseidon closer together and it taught me so much.

I was enthralled and ecstatic to having a baby, once the fear and shock had worn off and it was all out in the open, I had nothing to worry about anymore. I had the man I loved, the support of both my family and Poseidon's, I had the support of friends and I had a baby on the way…

But all it took was one person to take it all away from me.

Poseidon was frozen for a long time as I cried but soon I felt his warmth surround me in a protective comforting embrace, the side of my face pressed tenderly into his chest, right above his heart. I could hear it beating, it was like a soothing sound that comforted me even if I still cried worse than a child who fell down and hurt themselves.

Hestia stood up and came and sat down near me, rubbing soothing circles against my lower back to try and calm me down. I was crying so hard that I felt myself choking on my own sobs, if it continued, I was gonna make myself sick but I didn't care because it hurt worse than anything else I had ever felt.

All the memories came back.

The countless hours of therapy, the mounds of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication to help me get through the loss of my baby. The weeks spent on going to therapist after therapist before ending up in group therapy to help me get over all the self blame I had inside me. The hours of consoling Poseidon had to do every time I woke up from nightmare after nightmare of him blaming me and leaving me…

…all that was a waste of time because of a single lie.

I never needed to blame myself or hate myself for failing my unborn baby. I never needed to grieve on the same day year after year at the fact that August 18th was supposed to be my son's birthday because he was born that day. It turns out that he was brought back and my baby was alive and I had already missed so many years of his life.

I missed everything from his first word, to the first time he giggled or smiled up at me. I missed watching him take his first steps, missed him calling me mama and Poseidon dada. I missed taking him to his first day of kindergarten and so much more. That broke me so much it just made me cry so much more because it felt like dagger after dagger to my already broken heart.

I heard a knock at the door but it didn't stop my tears but sadly my comfort who was Poseidon had to get up and open the door for whoever was on the other side of the door so I turned and lay my head in Hestia's lap and just cried.

"Oh my god! Sally what's wrong?!" A familiar voice cried out and I looked out and saw my mom kneeling in front if me with her hands resting on my knees. Her warm brown eyes were dark pools of worry and concern as I launched myself onto her, just wanting the comfort that only a parent could provide for me.

"It's not fair, mom! It's not fair!" I stuttered between my sobs as Hestia continued to rub circles against my back.

"What happened baby?" she asked worriedly as I fisted the back of her blue blouse in desperation as a way to make sure she didn't let me go as she held me. "Tell me what's happened, sweetheart?" She begged but her voice was soothing, urging me to speak no matter how much it hurt.

"Percy didn't die." I cried, unable to release my mother as I just broke down, the weight of everything overpowering me severely.

"What does she mean that Percy didn't die?" My mom asked, probably looking between Poseidon and Hestia. I didn't have it in me to explain what Hestia and the detective had confessed to me because I just couldn't stop crying up the river I was. I could hear Hestia explaining but I just zoned out, my sobs flooding my ears and preventing me from hearing what they were talking about.

After what seemed for like ever, I heard my mom's voice whispering to me in a comforting manor, "It's okay baby. It's gonna be okay." I could hear her choking up. My recovery from my depressive state was a long one and took its toll on everyone, especially my mom and Poseidon. They had to be strong for me to help me get better but it took so long and there were so many emotional break downs and nightmares that it almost broke those I cared most about.

My sobs had somewhat calmed down, they were quiet and I had honestly run out of tears because my cheeks were warm and wet but my eyes felt dry and sore, not that I cared. "Come on Sally, let's get you up." I heard Poseidon say as I finally released my mother from my vice grip and helped me up off the floor and back onto the chair, his arm wrapped over my shoulders. "How do we know for sure that he is our son?" Poseidon inquired, it honestly surprised me.

The photo of Percy, he looked like Poseidon did as a child apart from looking a little scrawny and malnourished with heavy bags under his eyes and pale skin. The blanket proved he was ours because why the hell would that woman steal our blanket we made for Percy if she wasn't taking it for MY baby. Lets not forget that email, how could he not believe that that was our little baby. It even said it on the birth certificate.

"Poseidon-" Hestia began but Poseidon interrupted her.

"She could have falsified the documents of whoever that child belongs to and put our names to cover her tracks." He said in a firm tone as I pulled away and stared up at him with confusion after I used the sleeve of my gown to wipe away any remains of my tears.

"Poseidon, how can you deny that that isn't our little boy. He's an exact replica of you!" I said back in surprise as he turned round and his face was hard, his eyes were dark and cold which made me shrink back.

"My son died almost five years ago!" he bit back as he stood up, glaring at his sister. "I don't know why you bothered to come here because that little child in that photo is not my son." He hissed, denial evident in his voice.

"Are you seriously going to be a stubborn asshole right now, Poseidon?!" Hestia demanded, standing up and glaring at her little brother who was actually taller than her but that didn't make her any less intimidating. "I've met the child Poseidon. He's a mini you," she said as she thrust her finger against his chest, "and you want to go and deny him when all the facts are staring you in the face."

"They could all be fake!" He shouted back and I just got more and more upset.

"That's our son, Poseidon!" I shouted, unable to stand the fact that he was denying that innocent little boy that I knew in my heart of hearts was my son, our son, our flesh and blood that we created and were so excited to bring into the world.

"How do you know for sure, Sally?!" He shouted at me, making me shrink. He hadn't shouted at me in so long, it made me feel like bursting into tears which sounded like a good idea but sadly I had cried out all the tears I had in my body.

"For gods sake's, Poseidon, I believe he is our son because I can feel it inside me." I shouted as I stood up, getting between him and Hestia. "I always believed inside that something wasn't right. They wouldn't even let you see his little body or hold him. You said it yourself, you asked and he refused but another couple lost their baby and they got to hold their baby. They didn't even give us his body to bury or cremate or anything!" I cried in outrage.

"For god sake's I can't take you being devastated again! The first time was bad enough; I can't go through that again!" He yelled back, tears gathering in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly as I looked into his fear filled eyes.

"When we lost him, you have no idea how much seeing you blaming yourself and hating yourself did to me." He said, his voice choking up when he reached the final word as he reached up and placed a hand over his lips to cover up the sob that escaped his lips. "Gods I blamed myself so much for not being able to help you the way I wish I could. I wished for so long I could take your pain so you wouldn't feel that way."

"Poseidon-"

"I don't want you to get your hopes up only for them to be torn down again. It nearly killed me when you found out about Percy dying." He choked up. "I don't want to go through that again. I can't see you go through that again. I still get scared every time I see you holding a knife because all I can envision is those cuts on your wrists and I-I-" by that point he was breaking down.

I reached up and cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me as I leaned his forehead against mine, even if I was a short stack compared to him. "I know how much it affected the both of us but I cant deny the feelings I feel right now Poseidon. I know in my heart that that little boy is ours."

"I know Sally," he whispered as he fisted the back of my gown, making sure that there was absolutely no distance between us. It was if he were scared that I were going to disappear from him arms as he cling to me for dear life, "I know you believe it and I want to believe it but I just can't because I am scared that if he's not ours how broken you will be after getting your hopes up again."

"We can come up with a plan, Poseidon." I whispered softly, finding every resource within myself to remain calm and not say something stupid. "Maybe there's a way we can prove if he is ours or not if you are still unsure."

"If I may interject," the gruff short detective said as he stood up and came over to us. I pulled my forehead away from Poseidon's but he still held me against him, not daring to let me go. "There is a way you can prove that."

"How?" Poseidon asked.

"You could get a maternity and paternity test. That way it will prove if you are the child's parents or not." He said with his arms crossed, the blank expression on his face giving nothing away as he looked us. I looked up at Poseidon as a thought crossed my mind.

"I wanna meet the boy." I said softly looking up at Poseidon who had a worried expression on his face. "Poseidon, you need to understand that if I don't see him in person at least once, then I will just have regrets for at least not getting to know him. Even if the test says he isn't ours, he doesn't have a home or family."

"What are you suggesting, Sally?" Poseidon inquired un-surely.

I sighed. I had honestly been thinking about this for a long time and maybe it was time I told him about it, "With everything that has happened, I'm not even sure if I could handle getting pregnant again and the doc said there is a possibility that I may never have children again and if by some miracle I did, my womb was damaged in that accident. I might just end up miscarrying the baby so I've thought long and hard about it and I think that maybe we should either adopt or use a surrogate if in the future we wanted a family."

Poseidon was processing my admission. I knew that Poseidon wanted kids of his own but after the accident, I wasn't even sure if I could birth him a child let alone carry one. Surrogacy was of course an option but he knew how I felt when it came to kids who had been abandoned or orphaned. I wanted to give a child a home and he knew very well that I meant what I said.

"Is there even a possibility of adopting him if he isn't ours?" he asked but it wasn't directed at me but rather Hestia.

"Yes. As of the moment, he has no legal guardian and will be moved around to foster homes if no one wants to adopt him." Hestia confessed but I saw the look in her eyes. There was no chance that he wasn't ours, so he would be coming back home with us because I knew in my heart that the tests would confirm that we were the little boy's biological parents.

Poseidon seemed to finally relent, looking into my eyes and searching in them before he sighed, a groan escaping his lips. "Alright. We'll meet him on the condition that we get those tests done." He said wiping his eyes, I could tell he was struggling inside himself. He was fighting what his heart wanted and hopefully with these stupid maternity and paternity tests he wants would prove to him what his heart already knew.

Perseus Ugliano was really Perseus Jackson-Olympia, our little baby boy that we had thought had died.

I knew within me he was ours and I had to prove it to Poseidon. I knew it would be hard meeting him, meeting the grown child that once was inside me that was supposedly dead would open up old wounds but I didn't care. "Thank you." I whispered as I hugged him, my face pressed against his chest as he held me again.

"I know this is a lot to take in," Detective Hedge spoke as he stood in front of us, "but one thing I know for sure is that she will not get away with what she has done. Themis Ugliano and her son as well as Dr. Howard Claymore will not get away with this. They will be going to jail for a long time for this."

Thank you, I mouthed discreetly to him, a small smile appearing on his face.

"If you will excuse me, I have an interrogation I need to get to." He said as he looked at his watch. "Sorry for jumping this all on you but it was necessary that we inform you about everything because once the test results come back once you get them done, they will all be going to trial and if you are the biological parents of little Perseus which I know you are without a doubt, then you will be required to be there for the trial."

Poseidon nodded stiffly as I gave a hesitant, "Alright," as my answer. "One thing." I said quickly before he turned away and left. "If you question Themis, ask her why she did it because as I said, I believe he is ours but I want to know why she did it."

"Of course Miss Jackson." He said calmly before he turned on his heel and walked out the door as I looked at Poseidon who sighed and sat back on the couch.

"I don't think I can go to work or class today." He groaned but his voice was shaky like my own had been earlier. "I don't think either of us can go today." I nodded in agreement as I sat down next to him before I reached down and picked up the blanket that Hestia had brought with her and shown us.

I couldn't help but trace the pictures on the blanket before I looked over at Poseidon who was watching me. I smiled sadly as I reached for his hand and took it in mine as Hestia broke the silence. "When should I organize a meeting with Perseus?" She asked softly as she sat on the table in front of us, leaning on her elbows which were resting on her knees.

I look at Poseidon who looks thoughtful for a moment before answering on behalf of the both of us, "We need a little time to process the information so do you think that we could come on Friday?" he asked as I gave him a nod. That was a decent time gap for me so I nodded when he said Friday.

"I believe I can organize it for you." She said with a sad smile as she placed a hand on my knee. "Do you guys want me to organize someone to come and get the swabs for you?" She asked softly as I looked at Poseidon before shaking my head.

"No, we will make that call." I answered softly.

"There's only one person we really trust to do it." Poseidon continued for me with a smile. "We'll give Will a call and see if he can come and do the test for us since he minored in forensic science."

It had honestly been a long time since we had really spoken to Will Solace and his girlfriend Zoë. They both had hectic careers. Will being a OBGYN with his father as well as working for doctors without borders. He travelled a lot but also did a lot of work with kids. And his girlfriend, Zoë Nightshade, the Persian Princess worked as a nurse along side him.

I honestly never expected her to go into nursing but she found that she wasn't happy majoring in business which she had changed to but went to the available nursing course and she found absolute love for the job and she loved working side by side with Will. So they were together constantly and were practically already glued at the hip, now all they needed was to get married.

"Alright." Hestia said as she pulled out a diary from her briefcase and wrote it down in her diary. "Once I have spoken with the owner's of the foster care house he is in at the moment, I will give you a call and let you know all the details. Once it's confirmed, I'll be coming to discuss everything with you that you need to know before going to see him."

"Alright." I answered softly as my tummy growled. "I'm still hungry you know." I said with a little snicker to break the tension as Poseidon yawned.

"I need my coffee." He said through his yawn as he reached into his pocket and looked through his contacts. "I gotta call my boss and my professors to let them know I am not coming today." He said as he quickly kissed me on the side of my head as I sighed and looked at my mom who rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry Sally. Everything will be alright?" She said with a smile on her face as she stood up and headed to the kitchen to grab me my food and coffee, my gaze watching and following Poseidon's every move.

"I really do hope everything will be alright." I whispered to myself as I looked down at the blanket and traced the image once more. I honestly didn't know if this was a gift or a curse. The possibility of having my son back but having missed so many important parts of his life, it was going to hurt meeting him and trying to imagine all those landmarks of his growth that I missed.

If there is one thing I knew, its that as long as I had Poseidon by me, everything would be alright and we get through it. We had done it before, we could do it again and we most certainly were going to do it together.

I couldn't wait for Friday because I would see the truth and possibly have a second chance and maybe just maybe I could learn to understand why what happened and happened to us.

Two days till Friday, it was going to be a long wait.

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 _ **A/N:** Well guys, there is the second official chapter and i am really excited to get this story started. Wow guys, you rocked, so many awesome reviews. Seriously, 51 reviews and we are only have the introduction and the first official chapter up. Wow guys, you are just amazing. Thank you so much. I am so honored that you all love this story as much as i am enjoying creating it for you. This story is going to be a whirlwind and it will be longer than Youthful Times just by looking at the plans i have for it. Well guys, i am still undecided by the updating schedule yet so i will see when i update next. Love you guys._


	4. Time to be Brave

Everything Has Changed

 _ **A/N:** Well here we are with chapter three and its the chapter we all have been waiting for. I'm going to keep this A/N short, thanks to all the reviews for the last chapter, they mean the world to me. See you at the end, hope you like the chapter._

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Chapter Three: Time to be Brave

...:: _Sally POV_ ::...

Friday had come in an instant and right now, Poseidon and I were outside the building that Hestia had directed us too. It looked like a well kept building, but it was definitely old and had a wide garden out back according to Hestia where the kids could go and play on.

Hestia had told us a little bit about the owners. It was run by a brother and sister pair. From what Hestia had told us about them, Selene and Helios Kaplan worked in conjunction with Artemis and Hestia which I found admirable. Over the years I had seen just how hard Hestia's job was and certainly how hard it got for her at times but she managed and her strength was admirable and I wished I had it because right now I was nervous as she led us into through the door.

Poseidon who was beside me, dressed in his work clothes having come and collected me and followed Hestia's directions held a stoic, un-revealing blank look on his face as we walked. Hestia looked professional when we arrived and found that she was waiting outside for us and gave a professional yet welcoming greeting as we followed her in. I had of course been picked up from the University campus, dressed in a pair of rich colored denim jeans, and a simple frilly blue blouse with my hair pulled back into a ponytail which was unusual for me. I just felt like I didn't look presentable enough in going to see the people who were currently looking after my son.

I didn't see the sense in denying it. The picture, the blanket, Poseidon's name and mine on his birth certificate solidified what Hestia was telling us. The little boy here was my baby and Poseidon was still so skeptical that I wanted to take a book and lout him the back of his head with it. As much as I wanted to do that, I understood his skepticism but that didn't mean he had to outright deny the possibility that the little boy was our son.

"Just take a seat in here whilst I go and get the caretakers." Hestia said as they entered a lounge which was neatly organized, clear large containers filled with toys and a couple of those funny bean bag chairs around the room. Poseidon and I seated ourselves on the couch Hestia had told us to sit on and waited. Gods I hated my nerves because I was bouncing my leg up and down faster than a woodpecker pecking at wood.

Poseidon sighed next to me and placed his hand on top of mine, instantly making me stop, "I know you're nervous. So am I, Sally." Poseidon confessed as he reached over and took my hand in his, soothing his thumb over the back of my hand. "We'll get through this and we will do it together." He assured me as his lips ghosted over the back of my hand.

I smiled weakly at him, truly grateful that he agreed to do this with me, I honestly hoped that meeting Percy would hope his eyes and get him to see exactly what I saw and felt the minute I laid eyes on his picture.

"Selene, Helios, I'd like you to introduce you to my younger brother Poseidon and his lovely girlfriend, Sally." Hestia said as she walked in the room, causing us to break our locked gaze and look up at the two new strangers who had just entered the room with Hestia.

The man came up to us and offered out his hand to me. He was definitely a foot and a half taller than little old me with a head of deep brown hair that looked like it had natural blonde highlights in his hair. His azure blue toned eyes were filled with a curious yet pleasant warmth. He was neatly dressed in a buttoned up black shirt and a pair of dress pants. "How do you do? I'm Helios Kaplan. I run the orphanage."

I smiled and shook his hand as did Poseidon before the other guest spoke up. "We run it together, dummy." She corrected with a playful smile as she walked up to us and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Selene Kaplan, this forgetful idiot's sister." She said thrusting a finger at the man which caused him to scowl at his sister.

I couldn't help but giggle at the woman's comment. She reminded me so much of Hestia and Poseidon's relationship and it was just as amusing as this. Selene was beautiful, looked almost like her brother with deep chocolate brown locks that were hanging loose and piercing blue eyes almost identical to her brothers filled with amusement. She was dressed in a light pair of jeans and a white t-shirt which showed that she was more laid back out of the two.

"Shall we take a seat." Hestia offered calmly and we all did so, the nerves seeming to ease ever so slightly. "As I told both you and Sally," Hestia said as she looked at Poseidon calmly, "there are a few things you need to know before we can let you interact with Percy."

"We know and we are all ears." I answered on behalf of Poseidon as I took his hand in mine.

"Selene, Helios. It's your floor. You have held Percy in your care for nearly a week now so it is best you explain the situation to them." Hestia said softly, my ears listening intently, focusing on the fact that she said Percy had been here for nearly a week which meant the minute Hestia found out about Percy she came to us.

"Well, first off I just feel that I have to say how identical Percy is to you Poseidon." Selene said as she crossed her legs, smiling softly. "There is no denying the similarity and we were informed of the need for the paternity and maternity tests you wish to take just to be an hundred percent sure." She was the embodiment of calm and confidence. "We have already told Percy of your visit and he allowed for us to get you the test."

"It was very hard to coax him into allowing a possible stranger to come and do it considering how shy and closed off he is." Hestia spoke up as Poseidon and I listened.

"Might I ask why he is closed off and hesitant?" I inquired, my grip tightening around Poseidon's. Hestia said that a lot had happened and that whatever had happened had greatly affected Percy.

"Growing up in that household with Miss Ugliano and her son was a very traumatic experience for him." Helios spoke up, his eyes filled with a longing sadness. "When Percy was brought to us, he was malnourished and had obviously been neglected greatly. He didn't have any clothes that weren't too small or torn and he was very jumpy when we tried to approach him."

I could already feel my heart hurting, yearning, dying to find my child and hold him in my arms. "When we managed to coax him into taking a bath, we noticed the bruises on his arms. It was obvious that Mr. Ugliano had tossed him around him a little but there were no real distinct indications of child abuse apart but it was obvious that he had been handled roughly because he would not let anyone touch him."

I could already feel the tears in my eyes, my baby. My poor little boy. "Being closed off, Percy has yet spoken to anyone of yet, well apart from Hestia. She was able to coax him out a little and from what she told us he said, we were able to learn a little bit about him in order to make the transition as comfortable as possible." Selene spoke softly, her voice assuring and soothing the hurt I was feeling.

"Percy is very hesitant around new people. It's a process for him to trust you but when we go in, be cautious around him because sudden movements terrify him into a panicked state where he curls up into a ball in the corner of the room." Helios spoke, his voice filled with sorrow. "I made that mistake when he first arrived because I approached him from behind and touched his bruised shoulder he currently has and he just fell onto the floor and looked at me with these eyes that basically begged and pleaded for me not to hurt him."

I couldn't help but gasp. What had these people done to my baby? What possessed them to do this to a beautiful innocent child who had done nothing wrong? Poseidon's grip on my hand tightened, I could see how much hearing this was affecting him. He looked angry, infuriated, and ready to destroy the world or something because of his hate but I saw the hurt and despair in him. He was feeling exactly what I was feeling right now

"We said there was no clear evidence of physical abuse. No matter how many times I asked if they hit him, he shut down but it was obvious that they had threatened to with how he reacted is you simply raised you had if you were near him." Hestia piped up, I looked directly at her and I saw the sad look in her eyes. "There was definitely emotional abuse. Its why he's closed off and says nothing so we have to be very careful with our actions and what we say because just calling your own self an idiot sets him off."

"I hope that those rot in their jail cells and die in there a painful death." Helios hissed under his breath. Thank God I wasn't the only one thinking that those two had done this to my little angel needed to suffer for their disgusting acts.

"Is there anything else we should know?" I said softly as I looked at them, needing to know if I needed to know before I met him.

"When you ask him questions, try not to press too hard for answers. As we said, he hasn't spoken to anyone but Hestia but it was very little, just simple one worded answers, three words at most." Selene said softly as her brother wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "If anything, be observant of details in his room we prepared for him. It helps to better get to know him if you take in every detail you see cause if you take notice of things he likes, its more likely that he will be more accepting of you and not try to detach himself."

"Understood."

"Also, just remember, he loves the color blue. I mean one thing we noticed is that he obsesses over it so just remember that. If you bring it up in the midst of talking to him, you may have a better chance of him being more sociable." Helios said with a grin. I smiled in understanding feeling a little smug; of course his favorite color had to be blue. It was both Poseidon and my favorite color so if it hadn't of been his favorite too, I genuinely would have been shocked.

"Well not that we have all that cleared, we should let you meet him and once you have, we will discuss the terms of the tests and find out what you want to do next." Selene spoke up as we all climbed to our feet.

"Sally, why don't you go ahead? I have to go and get a few things from the car and I think it would be better if we went in one at a time." Poseidon said as he bit his bottom lip. I frowned sadly, nervously twiddling my thumbs. In all honesty, I had never been so nervous in all of my life. Not even the nerves of waiting for the letter from NYU to tell me if I had been accepted or not compared to this feeling I was experiencing in this moment.

"If that's what you want." I breathed out; wanting to hate him so much for making me have to go in the room that Selene stood in front of which I assumed was Percy's room. Behind the door in front of me was the boy they claimed to be my son, my little angel, my Percy who I had been made to believe had died because I couldn't protect him. it was hard to even come to terms with this in this very moment.

I walked towards Hestia and Selene, stopping in front of the door before I turned round and looked at Poseidon and knew that I would be walking in there on my own. He had that stubborn but terrified look on his face, his eyes watching me but at the same time he wasn't watching me at all. The look in his eyes, it was distant, as if he were in his own world and he was completely alone in the moment, coming to terms with his thoughts and emotions. He couldn't see me so I really guess he was making me do this alone.

I sighed and breathed in, looking at Hestia who smiled and gave me an encouraging nod, telling me through her eyes that it was alright and that I didn't need to be afraid. I had gone out on a limb to believe that the boy behind this door was really mine, I had put my heart on the line in believing Hestia, in believing in the possibility that my baby boy was here on this earth.

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and nodded weakly at Selene as she opened the door for me and moved out the way, allowing Hestia to enter and slowly and hesitantly, I followed her in, looking back as the door closed behind me. I wished Poseidon had come in with me, I didn't want to do this on my own but it looked like I was going to have to since the minute I looked forward I saw him.

The scruffy head of raven black locks that rested on his head looked exactly like Poseidon's. His skin slightly pale but still had a vibrant color to it, like he had been tanning on the beach. His green eyes that were exact replicas of Poseidon's; looking down at a piece of paper, his right hand moving along the page with what appeared to be a blue pencil color in hand.

"Percy, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Hestia said softly as the child looked up at her, a curious but fearful expression on his face as Hestia removed her heels and knelt on the floor next to him. "It's alright Percy. She's my friend. Remember I told you about my friend Sally?" She said in a soothing voice as she placed her hand gently over his un-moving left one to relax him.

He gave a shy tentative nod as he locked gazes with Hestia who smiled. I was amazed at how professional but friendly she was. She was acting like she was his best friend and it seemed to sooth him. I admired Hestia greatly for what she did everyday but now it had grown.

"Remember how I told you that I was your Aunty?" She asked softly, her voice even soothing my own nerves. The little boy nodded as his answer as Hestia continued "Well Sally and my brother who is coming in just now, they're your mommy and daddy." Percy was frowning in confusion as Hestia giggled at his confused expression, a smile gracing my face. "We talked about this Percy. Themis wasn't your real mommy. Sally over there, is your really mommy. She carried you and gave birth to you." Hestia said softly as she turned and finally looked at me.

Percy followed her gaze and his gaze locked with mine. He seemed to be frozen in time like I was, the both of us searching and looking deep into each others souls. I felt the nerves return in a violent storm as I bit the inside of my cheek, pretty sure if I bit any harder, I would draw blood as I nervously played with my hands but I never took my eyes off of him. I couldn't help but stare at him.

Gosh he looked so beautiful. He looked like an angel, the sunlight that was streaming in from the window behind him had almost surrounded him in a glowing veil that just made him look ethereal, it made me wonder if he truly was here or not. "Come over and say hi, Sally." Hestia said calmly, breaking me out of my trance of disbelief and wonder, her hand signalling me to come forward.

 _Time to be brave Sally._

I felt like I had walked a marathon when I finally made it to the table, taking slow, hesitant and calculated steps, Percy's eyes never seeming to leave me. Hestia stood up and dusted off her skirt as she made me come and kneel down right next to Percy which he was a bit hesitant about but allowed it although he shifted slightly away but not by much. He obviously had a deep level of trust in Hestia which made me slightly jealous but I understood.

He felt protected with her, he trusted her enough to know when she was helping him and not trying to hurt him in any way whatsoever. "H-Hi." I stuttered nervously as I rested my hands in my lap, a small smile gracing my lips.

The little boy was very shy, but he gave me a tentative wave and forced out a smile. At least it was a start. He immediately went back to drawing and coloring in the picture that he was drawing and I almost felt my heart shatter when I saw the bruise that was on his shoulder, it was close to his neck. The collar of his orange shirt had shifted so it was basically hanging off his shoulder where the deep purple bruise was present.

I felt my eyes glass over, my heart was in my throat, wanting me to open my mouth and let out the gut wrenching sob that wanted to escape. It was hard to swallow the lump in my throat as I examined Percy a little more. There were fading bruises here and there on his arms, nothing as dark and visible as the one on his shoulder.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go and kill the bitch and that fucker of a son of hers. Yeah, I was furious, so furious I threw all caution to the wind when it came to the dark thoughts that flashed through my mind but I pushed them aside. I wasn't here for me or to just fantasize about ways to torture them for an eternity before I murdered them without getting caught.

I was here for Percy.

I was here for my son.

I was here for my little angel I carried inside me.

"That's a pretty picture." I said, my voice filled with admiration as I leaned forward and took a peak at the picture to distract myself from my murderous thoughts. I could define the shapes of some of the images he had drawn and colored in. I could distinctly tell that there was a beach and the ocean. There was also what I thought looked like a dolphin swimming in the water and another that looked to be leaping out. There was also a turtle, and it really was pretty. It was good for a five year. The longer I looked at it, the more my thoughts came to a definite conclusion. "Do you like the ocean?"

I had obviously caught him off guard because his hand had frozen mid-way through his stroke and he was staring at me with shock and pure curiosity but he gave a shy single nod to answer my question. I couldn't help but think of how similar he and Poseidon were already and they hadn't even met yet.

"Poseidon loves the ocean too. Well he loves water in general." I said in a dreamy daze, a smile gracing my face but I made sure not to mention he was his father. Poseidon had to do that when he was a hundred percent sure and when he introduced himself. "He absolutely loves swimming. When we first met, it was at the public swimming pool. He'd been in there all day right until closing time and he still hadn't left the water. He came out wrinkled and looking like an old man." I said with a giggle and I noticed the smile grace Percy's face. He wasn't even trying to hide that he was enjoying the story.

He looked at the picture for a minute before he picked it up and offered it out to me, a shy smile on his face as he looked down. I hesitantly took the picture from him and smiled but I was still confused.

"Are you giving this to me?" I asked softly, feeling my heart ache when I saw him bit his bottom lip hard, it was as if he was fearing that I would reject it but he gave me a nod as he in turn mimicked my first action, biting his lip out of pure nerves and shyness. Gods I could already see so much of myself in him, "Thank you, Percy. It's lovely." I said with a grin as I held it between my hands to look at it better. "I'm going to put this on my fridge because it is that beautiful."

Percy looked up at me in shock, confusion on his face as I just smiled at the gift.

"I absolutely love it Percy. Thank you." I said I reached over slowly and hesitantly and worked up my nerves and just did it. I went up and hugged him. I surprised him with a small loose hug but it wasn't one where he felt like he was trapped. I didn't want to scare him, but my fragile heart feared that he would rip himself away from me and cower up at me for my brashness and boldness. I didn't want to terrify him in any way whatsoever.

He didn't make a move; he remained frozen as if he had been turned into a statue by Medusa or something. I didn't hug him for too long, I just loosely held him for a couple of seconds before I ended the hug so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable as I looked around the room and noticed the color and smiled at what the twin owners had told me.

"You're just like you father." I said out aloud as I looked around the room as he looked up at me, freezing when I realized my mistake but continued anyway realizing I hadn't mentioned his name, "He absolutely loves the color blue. You know he thinks that it's the most awesome color ever and so do I. It's my favorite color and it's the best thing since the ocean." With that statement, Percy's eyes lit up, like seriously, they lit up. Had I just scored a home run or won a million dollars right now because judging by the look on his face that made him absolutely thrilled. "Do you like the color blue?" I inquired with a knowing smile.

I was pretty sure that the he had given himself whiplash or something from the way he furiously nodded his head enthusiastically to answer my question causing me to giggle. When I giggled, it caused the effortless smile he had on his face which warmed my heart because got it reminded me of Poseidon so much, to grow even brighter as he stood up and rushed over towards the trunk that was by the bed.

Gods when he smiled that brightly at me it nearly broke my heart from happiness, relief, gratefulness and so many more overwhelming emotions I was feeling.

He ushered me over to which I stood up and walked over to him, feeling more comfortable and welcome now than earlier as I knelt next to the trunk. Percy tried to open it but seemed to be struggling so I smiled and spoke up, "Here, let me help you." I said with a smile as I helped him lift up the lid of the trunk which was actually very heavy.

Percy started furiously digging around in the trunk before he pulled out what looked to be a long stick with a horse mounted on the head. I used to have one of those and I smiled and saw that he had two as well as two toy swords. "Oh Sally. Percy wants you to play one of his favorite games. The kids he sometimes played with at the playground taught him how to play this."

"What's this game called?" I asked Hestia with a smile as I took off my shoes, feeling instant relief as I took the toy sword that Percy was offering out to me as well as the toy horse much to his excitement. It looked like he had been waiting for a play mate and it was amazing how trusting he was of me already.

"Combat Riders?" Hestia said out aloud but laughed at the frown Percy gave her. "Sorry, I forgot that you said it wasn't called that." She said but I could tell she was lying as Percy huffed at her. "I'm sorry but I can't remember it." She said in an honest tone but by the smile on her face, I knew that she was messing with him, obviously trying to coax him to talk to me or something.

Percy pouted as he looked at me shyly, his mouth opening and closing as if he were mimicking a gasping fish. He looked very uncertain, questioning if whether or not he voice the name to me or not.

"It's called Greek Riding Heroes, isn't it?" A voice spoke out, causing all of us to look at the owner of the voice and my eyes widened when I realized exactly who was standing in the doorway. Poseidon closed the door behind him as his eyes immediately fell onto Percy who looked back at him with a strange and curious expression but he nodded at my boyfriend who looked like he was completely out of his element.

"Percy, I'd like you to meet my brother, Poseidon." Hestia said with a gentle smile as I caught that longing, loving look in Poseidon's eyes as he looked at Percy. His eyes were flooded with realization as he stared into the familiar eyes of a mirror reflection of his younger self. "Poseidon, this is Percy." I could see that Hestia was leaving him with the honor of telling this little boy that he had denied from the beginning was his son.

I smiled and held the tears in when I saw the look in Poseidon's eyes as he stared at our son. He knew just like I knew. There was no denying it. This is our son. The son we thought had died and lost to a tragic accident. Poseidon looked at me, I could see the un-shed tears in his eyes I nodded at him, edging him on to see how he was going to handle this. He needed to interact with him and I just watched on as Percy slowly walked towards Poseidon.

Father and son looked upon one another, my heart aching as racing. Hestia came and wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave me a side way hug. This is what I had hoped for, Poseidon finally having a chance to see our son face to face. I just feared how Poseidon would manage this situation especially after what we had been told. It was most certainly going to be an interesting thing to see but I just hoped that it went well.

Would Poseidon say that he is his father?

Would he say out loud that he recognized the little boy before him as his son?

Would he say anything to him?

All questions I had inside were going to be answered as I watched Poseidon kneel down in front of Percy, laying the bag he had carried in on the floor and meeting Percy's gaze when they were the same level.

I felt relief flood me as Poseidon let out a smile and said in a soft, honest tone that I recognized, "Hello Percy. I'm your father."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _well, looking forward to you telling me how I did with that. I am supremely nervous about this chapter but I'm even more nervous for the next chapter. Just how will Percy react to Poseidon because yes, we have Poseidon's POV next chapter so let's prepare shall we. Hope you liked it, please drop me a review, fav, follow, whatever floats your boat. Hope you all liked the chapter, see you soon with the next one._


	5. Family Bonding

Everything Has Changed

 _ **A/N:**_ _well everyone, here we are. Poseidon's first POV in this story and its at a very much pivotal point in this story so I hope that you are all as excited for this chapter because it took me a long time to get this chapter just how I wanted it. Hope you all like it and thanks for the constant ongoing support you all have been giving me. see you at the end of the chapter._

Chapter Four: Family Bonding

...:: _Poseidon POV_ ::...

In this very moment, I had finally come to the reality of what my heart knew.

My stupid mind had plagued itself with stupid inquiries about how this wasn't my son who was kneeling right in front of me. I could see exactly why they were so persistent on how similar we looked and my heart was certainly having fun boasting to my brain about how it was wrong and how my heart had always been right which in truth is what I had hoped for.

The questions of was he ours, was he my son, had been answered the minute I looked upon his little face. I could see why Sally always referred to Percy as her little Angel when she went for her countless therapy sessions, he truly looked like one. A holy being that had graced me with its presence.

He looked better than he did in the photo that we had been shown. He still was a little scrawny but he didn't look so thin but his skin was still pale but not in the sickly, dying way. He just looked like he had been deprived of the sun for a while. I could even see it in the dull yet still raven black locks on his head that looked like it had been cut unevenly and his green eyes, mirror images of my own that made me feel like I was looking right into my own eyes looked back into mine.

He really did look like I did when I was a child, the resemblance truly was uncanny. Reason had clouded my mind, made me doubt my own heart, my own beliefs when I saw the picture of this little boy, made me question all of what was said when all the evidence was there. I still knew that in my heart, that the detective would still want us to get those paternity and maternity tests, mainly for the purpose of the court but also to help us get out son.

I couldn't help but smile as I looked him in the eye, and said in an honest, soft voice "Hello Percy. I'm your father." I could see in the corner of my eye how relieved Sally was. It must have been killing her that I denied that he was ours and to see the happiness and tears flooding her eyes just warmed and made my heart feel heavy at the same time. "Nice to meet you." I said as offered out my hand, Percy seeming a little confused and hesitant. "It's okay. I just wanna shake your hand."

Holy shit I was terrified right now. I didn't know what to do. How do you act when you meet your son for the first time in almost five years after believing he had died all those years ago and finally came to grips with the loss?

Percy seemed to register what I wanted to do and placed the palm of his hand against mine and slowly I shook his hand, solidifying my introduction as his father. I couldn't help but smile when he gave me this familiar shy smile that I remember Sally gave me the first time we ever met. That day at the pool, it was one of my greatest memories that I have ever had in my life.

"Poseidon, why don't you show Percy what you have brought with you." Hestia said, breaking the silence that shrouded us. Instantly I looked up at her, raising my eyebrow at her strangely, curious when I detected the hinting tone in her voice when she spoke.

I had locked gazes with her but noticed out of the corner of my eye that Percy was curiously eying the black plastic bag that I had brought with me that carried two items I decided to bring for Percy. I smiled and pulled the bag so it was in between Percy and before reaching into it and pulling out the first toy I had bought for Percy whilst Sally was pregnant.

The plush toy black horse looked almost brand new since I washed it. It had sat in the baby room we had put together for almost two years, which was the last time Sally and I ever stepped into that room. It had taken three years of therapy for Sally to finally close the door on Percy and let go. Neither of us had stepped in that room since, and neither of us had the heart to pack up the room because we just weren't ready yet but now, we were going to have to.

"This was the first toy I bought for you." I said to Percy but I was still looking down at the toy horse as I gave it a squeeze, "You were still in your mom's tummy when I bought it." I said as I looked up at him, smiling at the small smile that appeared on his face. "I thought you would like to have it since it was for you."

I offer it out for him to take, letting him decide whether he wants to have it or not. He looks hesitant, questioning whether he wants to do. He is having a internal debate with himself but seemed to finally relent as he reached out and clasped his small hands around the toy and slowly took it from my hand.

He was very hesitant, as if he was expecting me to reach out and take it back like it was a prank or something. I gave a smile and a little nod, telling him that he could take it. He seemed to trust me because he hugged the toy to his chest and smiled at me. "Percy, don't you have something to say to Poseidon and Sally." Hestia said softly as she gave Percy an encouraging nod.

Percy looked at Hestia for a moment before turning back to face me, nervously biting his bottom lip which reminded me so much of Sally. "It's alright Hestia," when I noticed the fear in his eyes, he wasn't ready to speak to us and that was alright, I wasn't going to press him when he wasn't ready. "I know he is grateful, aren't you?" I ask Percy who responds with a timid nod.

God this child is so cute, I may be a male but even I had to admit that this little boy, who was my flesh and blood, made from a mix of Sally's and my DNA was adorably cute being all shy around us. He really just reminded me so much of Sally when it came to his actions but he was a literal miniature version of myself.

Percy looked ready to go and play with Sally as he kept turning around to see if Sally was still waiting to play with him but I have one more thing to give to him. "Percy," I said with a pause, catching Percy's attention as he turned round and looked at me as I reached into the bag, "Sally and I, well, when we found out about you, we were given something of yours and your mother took it upon herself to fix it up for you."

Percy raised his eye brow and looked down as I pulled out the quilt and unfolded it before Percy's eyes. He looked like he was about to cry when I showed him the quilt that had been fixed up and looked brand new. I held it out to him and he practically ripped it right out of my hands and hugged it to his chest along with the plush toy, tears streaming down his face which just broke my heart.

Sally had to reach up and cover her mouth with her hand to contain her sob as tears streamed down her cheeks and I could see my vision blurring. I instantly knew that I had tears forming, gods I am a grown man and the sight of my own son was bringing me to tears. Percy let out a sob which brought me back to reality as I looked at him with worry. "Why are you crying?" I asked as I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder.

He looked at me with tear filled eyes and I mentally and emotionally was unable to prepare myself for his little body colliding with mine, leaving me winded as his arms wrapped around my torso. I could feel his fingers digging into my back, but it didn't hurt and as I hesitantly wrapped my arms around him, unsure if this was alright or not. I just hated seeing him in tears as I gently rubbed my one hand against his back, the other resting on the back of his head, holding him to me and that's when I heard it.

"Thank you."

I looked down at Percy's face and saw his lips move to repeat those words I had heard a soft, shy voice say. I just remained there frozen; he had actually just spoken to me, like did that really just happen. I looked to Hestia for confirmation who was actually reaching up and wiping away a tear that fell from her eye.

After what seemed like forever, Percy pulled away and looked at Sally who was just a mess but she held a smile on her face. She made her way over to us, getting down on her knees as Percy without any hesitation went up to her and gave her a hug. Gosh all three of us were blubbering messes as Sally hugged him with a comforting ferocity, as if pushing out every ounce of her love into a protective shield around them.

When Sally ushered me to come, I was hesitant, I didn't want Percy to feel like he was trapped but the minute I heard him say "Thank you," to Sally, looking me in the eyes, I slowly moved towards them and wrapped my arms around the two most important people in my life. Sally had always been of highest importance and Percy was supposed to be the second when he was born and I thought I had lost the chance to have a family and now, I am holding my son... _my son..._ I knew in my heart that this was my son in between Sally and I.

There was no truth in denying it, but I still wanted to be certain. In my heart I knew this was my son, I was stupid to deny that he wasn't any relation to any of us. I doubted my heart and listened to my confused head but there was no denying that my son, was alive and in my arms right now.

"Ow, something just pricked me." Sally said as she pulled back, Percy looking up at her curiously with his quilt in one arm and his plush horse in the other. Sally looked closely at the toy horse and laughed as she wiped away her tears, "Oh my gosh. There's a blackjack on your horse Percy." She said as she leaned forward and picked that distinctive blackjack off the horse's face and tossed it.

I looked at Percy and smiled at him but then I saw the purple on his shoulder. I was seething and broken on the inside at the same time. I swear the minute I see either of them, especially that Gabe Ugliano, I will enjoy every minute of giving them a slow, torturous death filled with nothing but suffering and pain that could last for all eternity and longer.

Sally must have sensed my growing anger, because she reached out and took my hand in her own as she spoke to Percy, "How about we play that game of yours, Percy? We've got our villain now." She said with a growing smile and Percy let out this bright grin that just killed my goddamn heart. It was one of the most incredible sights I had ever seen,

I could literally feel the happiness radiating off of him, it's like he was actually making the mood dissipate into nothingness as he practically bounded over to his trunk. Looks like I was in for a long and fun game. I stood up and pulled up Sally, pulling her back flush against my chest and holding the toy wooden sword to Sally's throat. "It's too late demigod." I say in the most evil voice I could muster, "I have your friend, and I am taking her with me."

Percy seemed to get into character almost instantly, his sword raised and a cardboard shield on his other arm. I smiled on the inside; this was really going to be fun. Sally picked up on what we were doing and looked terrified and in character as she spoke, "Sir Perseus, save me." She said in a dramatic tone as Percy grinned and charged at me and our game begun.

* * *

Hours later...

I honestly didn't want to leave. We had spent the entire afternoon playing with Percy and it was just a blast. Some of the kids from inside the orphanage came and played outside with us. At first, Percy was hesitant when they joined at first but the longer we played, the quicker he got used to playing with others, starting to socialize with others but he didn't say a word, he just waved, smiled and used hand signals in the game.

It was already six o'clock and we had really tired out all the kids, Percy included. The little man acted as if he were ADHD with the furious amount of hard playing he had done today. He had actually just lain down on his bed and not even five minutes later, he had fallen right asleep. He really looked so peaceful when he slept, so tranquil and relaxed.

Sally was already a natural at being a mother, she had covered him with a blanket and made sure to remove his shoes and make sure he was comfortable on the bed, even going as far as to tuck him in. She sat on the edge of his bed, her hand running through his soft, messy black locks, a small smile on her face. I was seated on the floor, watching and admiring this amazing woman that I had been so fortunate and so lucky to have ended up with.

Every day that I had been with Sally, it felt like a dream. After losing Percy, it was a hard road, the recovery was a painful and strenuous road, countless hours of therapy sessions, the constant need she had for me to encase her in a protective embrace and shield her from the anguish and hurt... sometimes I lost hope that I was get to see the real Sally Jackson.

She was still the same Sally that I had been friends with and fallen deeply in love with but at the same time, she wasn't the same person anymore. She was lost, closed off, shielded herself from all emotions and reality and became this guarded empty shell that I sometimes didn't even recognize. It was a hard road for the both of us, I was always unsure if the woman I had fallen in love with would ever come back... and by some miracle she did.

I came home from work, exhausted and depleted and I just wanted to fallen into the restless oblivion of sleep I had become accustomed to but when I walked in, she was there on the bed waiting for me. She was sitting on the bed on her laptop, instead of just reading the dark mournful poetry she usually did when she went online, she was reading a book or what I assumed to be a book at the time. When she saw me, she smiled.

It wasn't the same small weak one she gave me when I did a simple action to help her, it wasn't one of the timid grateful ones that conveyed sadness behind it instead of joy, it was one of her real smiles. I climbed on the bed and sat next to her and looked at the screen and listened to her talk and she had highlighted some text from the book and to this day, I have the text committed to memory because it not only helped her but it helped me to.

Sometimes when I forgot I'd pick up my phone like I did outside when I went to get the things from the car, and opened the text that is still on my screen now as I look down at it. It was from this story about a girl who lost the love of her life to tragedy and spent most of her life looking back until she one day came to learn something about life and loss and wrote her story down to share it and inspire those around... those like me and Sally.

* * *

 _Moving on doesn't mean you have to forget about things. It just means you have to accept what happened and continue living. It hurts to let go but sometimes it hurts more to hold on. Its time to move on. We must be willing to let go of the life we had planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us. Yes growth is painful. Change is painful but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong._

 _There are three words that I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on._

 _Starting today, I need to move past what's gone and appreciate what's still remains and look forward to what's coming next because time waits for no one. You don't always need a plan, sometimes you just need to close your eyes, remember and then let go and see where the road takes you._

 _I never truly believed that statement my brother once said, "Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that we will come across."_

 _In my life, I've lived, I've loved, I've lost, I've missed, I've hurt, I've trusted, I've made mistakes but most of all I've learned. I've learned that everything is going to be alright, maybe not today, but eventually everything will fall into place. Sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with good bye... it's take me a letting go to finally realize that I shouldn't look back because that's not the way I am going._

 _Just because I don't look back doesn't mean I've forgotten. Moving on doesn't mean letting go of the love we once had, the memories we once shared... no, moving on is taking that first step forward towards a future where we have come to accept what happened and continue living on, not just for ourselves but for the ones we have lost._

 _For all those who have read and who have lived a story similar to mine, I urge you to live for what today has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away. The truth is life is way too short to spend another day at war with yourself._

 _Looking through my life, I've found many quotes that I have finally come to realize are very much true and helped me peace myself back together, this one being by a man named Mitch Albom and it really spoke to me and helped me in the end, "You have to start over. That's what they say. But life is not a board game, and losing a loved one is never really "starting over." More like "continuing without." We all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forget what we have."_

 _In the words of a great leader and president of our country, Abraham Lincoln, I say this to you. Now, in this present moment, "I walk slowly but I never walk backward."_

 _And in the words of Dr. Steve Maraboli, a man I have come to respect and believe in his powerful words, "The truth is unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward."_

 _There are things in life we don't want to happen, things we don't want to accept but we eventually have to; things we don't want to know but have to learn and people we can't live without... but have to let go when the unfortunate happens. We can't chose who we lose, we can only celebrate the memory of them by forgiving ourselves and living our lives in honor of them._

 _The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living, and now, I have learned that I can move on with you still in my heart. I love you my sweet, I'll see you again soon in another lifetime. Thank you for all the memories you gave me, they will never be forgotten, and neither will you. I hope you always remember all the great memories we created because I always will._

 _I love you._

* * *

I had read the book, it was an anonymously written book that has surfed the web for a long time, but the story, it was so moving and I have it permanently saved onto my phone. I look at it every day when I am feeling blue and broken and remember him... the little boy that brought me and Sally together, the little boy that had never been able to come into the world and become god's angel had brought us back to each other and this text always made me remember what I had.

The reality though is that he didn't die... he was lying right here in this very bed before me, peacefully asleep and unaware of the pain Sally and I had gone through believing that he had died. It filled me with anger, hatred, hurt, heartache, sorrow... it was all so overwhelming to realise that the fates were cruel to put this suffering upon us, what had we done to deserve all the pain we had been through.

I looked up when I felt the familiar feelings of someone's fingertips cupping my chin and lifting my face so I look into their eyes. I knew that is was Sally, I knew the feeling anywhere as her thumb wiped away that single tear that had started to fall before cupping my cheek. Upon instinct I leaned in and tilted my head and met Sally's deep blue eyes.

"I don't know why this happened to us Poseidon but we have each other." She said softly, almost recalling the same words I had said to her every time she cried and needed my comfort. The roles had been reversed now, I was the one breaking apart, shattering on the inside, outwards as she whispered softly, "We are going to be alright, Poseidon."

I nod as I shift onto my knees so I am at the same level as she is and lean my forehead against hers as I let out a shaky sigh, her hands tenderly cupping my cheeks, still wiping away any tears that fell.

"We will get through this together, Poseidon." She whispered in a barely audible whisper as I closed my eyes, the guilt of the day we found out weighing heavily on me.

"I'm sorry I denied him, Sally." I said in a soft regretful tone, needing to get this off my chest and let her know the truth I hadn't had the chance to tell her because we were so busy from playing with the kids... and our son. "I knew he was ours but I was just so scared and confused and hurt-"

She quietly silenced me, pulling my head so that my face rested in the crook of her neck as she held me in a tender hug that just felt so warm and comforting... so protective that I just felt shield from the hurt I was feeling. It was so foreign to feel this way again, usually I was the strong one that comforted Sally but slowly the foundations of my built up shield I created when I had to be so strong for Sally were breaking down at a rapid pace before it just collapsed.

"It's okay." Sally whispered as she held me, her grip tightening ever so slightly, she was one of the only people who had ever seen me this way, she was the only one who was able to comfort me in this way. It showed how much I needed her in my life, I can't live without this amazing human being and I have almost lost her countless times and those times were the most terrifying of my life and I felt like I was beginning to live through them again.

I knew to listen to her as she repeated the same words over and over to sooth and comfort me, I chose to believe them. That it was okay, that everything was going to be okay. The doubt had gone, it had been thrown out the window and into a sealed black hole that would never be reopened because Percy was our son and even though we were still going to get the tests done, it was only to solidify what everyone believed and knew, what I always knew was the truth.

The little boy lying in this bed, completely oblivious to what we had been through, was our son.

"Let's go home." Sally whispered softly into my ear, her voice a soothing melody, the soft humming of a familiar tune of a song that was sung throughout my childhood to calm me relaxing every part of me. the things Sally could do to me was incredible, the simple beating of her heart was like a soothing melody that was therapeutic to me I was glad that I had the privilege of listening to this beautiful masterpiece that gave me piece of mind and the assurance that she was still there.

I almost didn't want to leave, I didn't want to say good bye to my son, it felt like I was reliving one of the greatest tragedies of my life even though I would be seeing him again soon, it still hurt to have to leave and I knew that Sally was feeling exactly the same way. "I'll take you guys home since I think you guys want to just be with each other right now." Hestia's voice said from behind us as I gathered myself together and stood up, taking's Sally's hand in mind.

"You can stay the night with us Hestia." I said softly, right now, I wanted to be in the comfort of family. I knew that Sally's mom would be there, I wanted some of my own family there and Hestia, I hated it when she walked around like the place was truly safe. I just wanted my family safe and I needed my family.

Hestia smiled softly as a chuckle left her lips, "You're luck my car is at home and I got the twins to bring me here today."

I cracked a smile as she walked over to Sally and I and embraced the two of us, "It will be alright guys." She assured us softly, speaking to the both of us and not just one of us and like Sally, I believed her. Everything would be alright, and tomorrow would be a new day and like the author implied, tomorrow is another day, life keeps on moving on even if you don't so you have to move with it and it would be a process, a major adjustment to everything I knew and believed and understood, but we were going to do it together.

Tomorrow was a new day... a new day where we would take a step towards finding the happiness we should have had years ago, a step towards the family Sally and I dreamed of. The family that comprised of me, Sally and Percy, our son.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _talk about an emotional thing to write. I hope I did this chapter justice. Again, hope you liked it, thanks for the ongoing support and I hope you are all looking forward to the next chapter because I most certainly am. That text is something I wrote, I got inspiration from a lot of places but it's helped me through my depression and hurt too, I'm still struggling since I have been through a lot so this chapter is just deeply personal and I hope you enjoyed it. See you all with chapter five everyone._


	6. Waiting Game

Everything Has Changed

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey guys, I'm sorry for taking so long with this. I have just been dealing with a lot and a whole new situation in terms of school. And admittedly, I haven't been focusing on this story as much as I should be because of school and my two main other stories, Lies of the Wandering Soul and my Wrestling fandom Family Doubts but I'm trying to get back into this story. Updates will be slow but hopefully once I get this term over with and school holidays come, I'll have more time update but anyway, here is chapter five. Enjoy._

* * *

Chapter Five: Waiting Game

...:: _Sally POV_ ::...

* * *

 _ **July 9**_ _ **th**_

 _Today we get the paternity and maternity tests done, the truth is I am completely and utterly terrified. So many questions have been erupting in my mind but there is one question that has repeated like it's on a constant replay or it was frozen on the same spot, playing over and over again._

 _What if he isn't our son?_

 _I know that I've been dead set in my belief that the little boy is our baby. I know I've already told Poseidon what I want to do if by some chance, albeit a slim, very slim one, that he isn't ours but the thought of that slim possibility becoming reality would break my fragile heart. I understand why Poseidon was terrified, I've gotten myself so hopeful that this miracle in disguise means the real possibility of me giving Poseidon what I may never be able to give him ever because I'm damaged goods._

 _The doctor said he didn't know if I would ever be able to carry a baby to term, I would most certainly get pregnant but there is a very slim chance of the baby actually making it. My womb was damaged because of the accident; I had been rendered into a slave to Mother Nature that could not do what I was brought down onto earth to do. Bring life to it in the form of a child, a new soul that would carrying on bringing generation after generation of life and love._

 _It hurt to know that I may never be able to give Poseidon the child the both of us wanted, Poseidon was a family man, he wants kids and so did I and it hurt knowing that I could never give him that. This cruel yet amazing miracle or second chance that we have been given... this may be my only chance to give Poseidon that._

 _If Percy isn't ours, then it will break me down and break my soul even more than it should have because I can't ever give Poseidon his family he wants. I will never be able to give him everything he has dreamed of, I will become obsolete and he will probably come to hat-_

* * *

"Sally, where are you?" Poseidon's voice sounded out, causing me to quickly shut my diary and shove it into the draw of my desk and act like I am doing work as I hear the distinct sound of footsteps making their way towards the lounge, getting closer and closer to the destination that the owner wanted to get to.

"I'm at my desk." I answer back as I continue to read through my newest assignment which was in truth what I had been doing before I set out to inform my journal of the recent events, emotions and deep feelings I was holding inside me.

"There you are." Poseidon's voice called out happily, his voice cheerful and enthralled at the fact that he had found me. it made me smile as he came up behind me and encased me in his arms, his chin resting on my shoulder as he kissed my cheek, causing me to giggle. "I missed you."

"I was barely out of bed for ten minutes you dolt." I chuckle, this man acted as if he couldn't live without me which just made me feel so valued and so loved and for a moment, it quelled the deep emotions of dread and sorrow that were within me.

"I know," Poseidon answered, causing me to roll my eyes but allow my smile to grow, "I just can never sleep properly unless you are lying there with me." He sounded very much awake and cheery, as if he had already had his morning coffee with a little too much sugar and an energy drink. Poseidon peppered the side of my neck with light feathery kisses that were kind of ticklish and made me giggle at him.

"Poseidon, stop." I pleaded as his hands snuck to my sides and he started assaulting me with ticklish manors that made me burst out laughing and try to run away from him but he had me trapped. "p-Poseidon, p-plea-se s-st-op!" I pleaded between laughs, tears gathering in my eyes. It hurt so much to laugh right now; he was just killing me right now as I collapsed to the floor with him above me and murdering me with this torture.

He didn't stop, he just had this bright smile on my face that just made me smile and laugh, the joy was something I loved to see on his face. When he finally stopped, my cheeks were flushed in a deep rhubarb red color, I felt completely out of breath as I panted and tried to catch my breath but my eyes were trained on the face of the man I had loved for a long time.

His black hair was tousled, almost shaggy but that's how I loved it, the slight stubble still present and making him look rugged and devilishly handsome as his green eyes stared down into mine, the bright sparkle that had always been present shinning throughout his eyes like his bright smile that was present. It was the same one that made my heart skip a beat, the one that had my legs melting into puddles of butter on a stack of flapjacks and had my heart warming at the sight of it.

It said Poseidon through and through, it made him look all the more beautiful, Poseidon was a sight to behold and I was so thankful that I got to wake up to the sight of him everyday. "I love you Poseidon." I whispered softly as I reached up and cupped his cheek in my hand, relishing the feeling of the rough stubble on his baby soft smooth skin as his smile grew even more.

"Love you to Sally." He was leaning down to give me a soft and tender kiss when the knock on the door stopped, causing him to groan and sadly bring us back to reality. Reality was a cruel memory that I wished didn't exist because it made me forget those happy moments and bring us back to the sadness and pain that had befallen us and come back to us in these last few days.

Poseidon pushed himself up and off of me and helped me up off the floor. As he went to the door, dressed in his blue stripped pajama bottoms and white vest, looking more presentable than I did which caused me to review my appearance. I was in a pair of silky shorts and black tank top with thin spaghetti straps and my hair in a messy bun. I didn't have time to go and put something else on because Poseidon opened the door and revealed our two friends we hadn't seen in so long.

William Giuseppe Solace, a.k.a Will Solace was a carbon copy of his father, but he still looked younger, like he was still in his youth rather than in his mid to late twenties. He still dressed the same way, like he was a surfer going to the beach with beach shorts on, a white buttoned up shirt and sandals. He had filled out, grown a little more and he looked like the sun was still radiating and reflecting off of his youthful vibrant skin that gave him his perfect tan.

Next to him stood his partner, the girl who was hardcore and brave and didn't take any shit from anyone, the Persian Princess, Zoë Nightshade. She had barely changed, still the same amazing woman I met all those years ago when I was a scared and pregnant sixteen year old girl. She had her hair down, the black locks flowing down in an effortless waterfall that surrounded her face, her eyes were still dark yet filled with a familiar sparkle that made her orbs look like the night sky painted with stars.

She was dressed simply like Will, a simple black blouse with short sleeves, the top three buttons undone but nothing being exposed or revealed by the white tank top she wore underneath it. She had on to go with it, a simple pair of three quarter denim jeans that were loose, flared out and comfortable and a pair of black flats. She had a bright smile on her face that appeared when she saw me, and she instantly walked in, ignoring Poseidon and coming and embracing me in a warm, comforting hug.

"Hestia informed us of everything that has happened, Sally." She whispered softly as I buried my face into her hair, her grip tightening around me just a little. "I'm here for you my friend. I'm right here." She assured me as I nodded against her neck, surprised that I was able to hold it together right now.

She pulled away and smiled, it was a proud smile as Will appeared next to her, his usual grin that just projected happiness into others on his face as I walked forward and embraced him, "Been a long time, Salligator." He said in a teasing tone, causing me to chuckle at the silly nickname he had come up with for me as a way to get back at me for teasing him about his nickname for Zoë.

"Nice to see you too Sunshine." I said with a smile as we pulled apart, a soft comforting smile on his face when he saw the sadness instantly appear in my eyes.

"I don't even know what to say or how to offer you comfort in this situation Sally." Will said softly as my smile turned sad, I could feel my eyes glassing over almost instantly. Even I didn't know how to comfort myself, how to tell myself that it wasn't my fault or figure why this happened to us. "My father was livid when he found out." Will confessed softly as they sat down on the seats with Poseidon next to me, Will and Zoë opposite us.

I remember Poseidon telling me how Apollo had demanded to get in the operating room but they flat out refused and said that their on call OB-GYN that was working on me. He blamed himself because he believes that he could have saved Percy and he partially blamed himself for not being able to save our son. The man had a tender heart, I admired the man for that. He had learned that it truly wasn't his fault but that didn't stop the guilt so I can only imagine how he reacted.

"Apollo all but went and hunted the man down. Thankfully the cops already had him in his jail cell because Apollo was going to murder him." Zoë said with an admiring smile, which I returned with a nod when she looked my way.

"So can you explain how these tests work?" Poseidon asked as he took my hand in his, gently rubbing the top of my hand with his thumb in a calming manor knowing that I was going to start getting nervous.

"Well the test can be done a multiple of ways. We for Percy's sake; took a cheek swab and now we need a cheek swab from the each of you to confirm a familial match between you and Percy." Will explained softly as he placed a silver case on the table and opened, putting on some gloves. "I can't really go into the dynamics of what the test does but it will confirm if you are Percy's parents."

He came over to me and automatically I opened my mouth and allowed him to use the cheek swab. It felt weird having something rubbing against the inside of my cheek. He mimicked the action with Poseidon before sealing the cheek swabs away in his case. I was genuinely surprised by how quickly it was to take the swabs but I was thankful that they didn't have to leave yet because it had been a long time since I had gotten to see the two.

Zoe had been absorbed in her conversation with Poseidon and Will that it allowed me to observe her and in that moment, I saw it. There was something that was sparkling in the sunlight on her engagement finger in the sunlight and as I got a closer look, I realised exactly what it was. It was a simple diamond ring and I resisted the urge to shriek in delight and question my friend all about how Will proposed to her. For those who think I was jumping the gun, not long after the accident, Will gave her promise ring, so that's how I knew it was an engagement ring.

"Do you have something to tell us?" I said calmly, interrupting the conversation as I took a sip from my cup of tea I had made to relax myself as my eyes zeroed on Zoë's finger and she just burst out smiling even though there was a deep flustered blush appearing on her face.

"I guess there's no point in keeping it a secret any longer." Will said as he took Zoë's hand in his, a soft content smile gracing his face as he spoke. "We're engaged." He answered simply before turning to look at me, the same blinding smile that he got whenever he thought about Zoë appearing on his face.

"How long?" Poseidon asked, I could hear the happiness in his voice, he was truly happy for them, just like I was.

"A little over a week, actually." Zoë confessed, her voice flooded with honesty as she looked me in the eye. "I'd been away for a month whilst he was here and when I walked into the house, he was there dressed in a suit, down on one knee with this in his hands." She looked at Will with tears of pure, undiluted love that made me feel a strong tug at my heart strings.

"I was afraid that she'd say no. That it was too soon and she wasn't ready." Will confessed, a light dusting of blush appearing on his tanned cheeks. He looked so shy and innocent, just like he did when we teased him about his nickname for Zoë.

Zoë chuckled and kissed Will on the side of his neck, making his blush darken as she smiled, "He gave this beautiful, romantic and tear jerking speech so how could I say no to that you doofus."

"We were planning to come here because we wanted to ask, well, I wanted to ask if you, Sally wanted to be my best woman." Will said which just caused me to chuckle, of course Will would be unorthodox, and different, not that I minded.

"Hey," Zoë said in a playful, annoyed tone, "I thought we agreed that I had won the right to ask her to be my matron of honour."

"Doesn't she have to be married to be your maid of honour?" Will countered, Zoë frowning and glaring at him slightly.

"Then they have to get married before us so she can be my maid of honour." Zoë said with a pout, instantly mine and Poseidon's eyes widened at the same time, a blush instantly appearing on my cheeks as I looked at Poseidon whilst Zoë and Will argued.

We hadn't quite really discussed the future, which meant we hadn't really discussed kids or getting married as of yet since neither of us had graduated yet since this was both our last years at NYU unless one of us decided we wanted to further our studies more. Heck, we hadn't even discussed if we were going to invest in a house if we were to start a family together.

Hell, this situation had changed now considering that our son had been kidnapped at birth and I honestly didn't know what we were going to do from here since we had to now include living arrangements for a five year boy that may or may not be our son but there was honestly no doubt that he was. He was the spitting image of Poseidon, I just see a miniature version of Poseidon when I looked at Percy.

The situation was honestly a lot harder to comprehend since there would be a lot of steps to take in order to officially legalise that he was ours by birth and by the law and lord knows how long that's going to take. I looked at Poseidon, he too was wondering what steps we were going to have to take towards the future and how different everything was going to be now.

"I guess we are going to have to start looking at the future once the results come back." I said softly to Poseidon, who in turn nodded in agreement with me. "When they come back, our life is going to change, you know that."

Poseidon nodded as he took my hand in his and gripped before he brought it to his lips and placed a tender kiss on the back of my hand, "We'll get through this. Together."

I smile at Poseidon, "Together." That's one thing that I was grateful for. Having Poseidon here with me, it's something that not many parents in these situations had. Some were alone and others had someone but not everyone had what Poseidon and I have. We were in this together and we would be there for each other.

He hadn't given up on me, no, he'd had stuck by me and helped heal me, helped bring me back when I was nothing but a broken shell of my former shell.

I don't deserve him but he was here to stay and I wasn't going to let him go anytime soon.

* * *

A few days later and it was Monday now. In all honesty, I was anxious. I had been on edge since Friday, awaiting for the results of the parental tests we had done. We'd heard nothing back from Hestia or Will for that matter. I understood that it would take some time to process the tests but it didn't sooth my nerves. I know that its silly, I know he's my son, that he is Poseidon's but there was a part of me that was afraid that he wasn't.

Everything before told me he was but there was a constant lingering voice that kept telling me not to get my hopes up because my son died and I was just desperate to have a family after I let Poseidon down by losing our son.

Thankfully today was a pretty relaxed at the University since we were preparing for finals so thankfully I had other things to distract me for a while and I was glad I didn't have anything to do this afternoon. I was in the middle of class working on a class assignment when there was a knock on the door, catching the teacher's attention. The bald headed, blue eyed man known as Professor Bronson headed to the door and pulled it open.

"What can I do for you, Poseidon?" He spoke in a gruff tone, the name instantly catching my attention, causing me to look up and see that indeed it was Poseidon standing in the doorway, looking like he had just come from work and Hestia was standing behind him along with a well dressed Detective Gleeson Hedge.

"I'm sorry to disturb you sir but could I please borrow Sally." Poseidon asked in a sincere, polite tone, his gaze locking with mine. The tension was thick, worry filling me as I wondered why he was wishing to pull me from class. "It has to do with our son." Poseidon said, obviously sparking the attention of everyone in class.

It was no lie that everyone knew the situation that Poseidon and I were going through at the moment. We'd had to go to the University Head Master to inform him of the situation because of the number of days of schooling we had missed and it spread like wild fire throughout campus. But no one judged, they were supportive and caring and many people were able to offer sympathy and comfort when the situation got overwhelming for me.

Many people knew about my accident, it was on the news and many people knew of my trauma due to the accident and it was here on the University Campus that I got to go to group counseling to bring myself back from death's door in a sense. The professor looked at me with a deep level of understanding, fully knowing the situation and gave me a nod, excusing me from class for the moment.

I closed my book, placing my pen down and headed down the stairs towards the door, making sure to close it behind me as Poseidon took my hand in his and lead me down the hallway and into an empty classroom, closing it behind us. I hadn't failed to notice the few students who were heading either to their dorms or the library watching us as we went past and entered the room.

"is everything okay?" I ask softly as Poseidon pulls out a chair for me, urging me to sit down as he leaned on the back of the chair as detective Gleeson and Hestia remained standing.

"They have the test results, Sally." Poseidon informed me, the information instantly catching my attention as I looked and noticed the envelop that was in Detective Hedge's hands, a blank expression on his face. "They called me at work and said that they wished to speak to us immediately so we could find out the results."

My nerves sky rocketed as the detective Gleeson handed one envelop over to Hestia who opened it and as she did so she explained, "This is the DNA test between Themis and Percy as well as Gabe to just assure if there is any relation between them." I nodded as she opened it and read off the paper in a calm tone, " _The alleged mother, Themis Ugliano is excluded as the biological mother of the tested child, Perseus Achilles Ugliano. It has also been confirmed that there is no matching alleles between a Gabe Ugliano and the child, therefore there is no genetic markers to indicate relation between the three parties._ "

"So he most definitely is not Gabe's child or Themis's child." Detective Gleeson stated, giving us a nod of understanding before he walked towards me, saying "This is yours and Poseidon's DNA test," before he handed me the envelop. Hestia gave me an encouraging nod as I look down at the envelop, fear gripping me. My whole future, our whole future lay within this envelop and I was terrified to open it and look at it but I found strength within me and carefully opened the top of the envelop and pulled out the piece of paper that would be deciding our future.

Looking at the paper, it was confusing and hard to understand but eventually I found a phrase or something that mentioned father and with a shaky voice I read it out, "The alleged father is not excluded as the biological father of the tested child. Based on testing results obtained from analyses of the DNA loci listed, the probability of paternity is ninety-nine point nine, nine, nine, nine percent and is the same as the mother."

I was honestly confused by the statement, looking at Poseidon who was as equally confused by it as well and Hestia smiled and came forward, taking the paper from my hands and smiling as she read something else that just opened the whole world to my eyes, opened the door to what my future was going to be. "Thus it is concluded that the alleged parents, Sally Jackson and Poseidon Olympia are indeed the biological parents of a Perseus Achilles Ugliano."

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Poseidon asked in a hushed whisper, his voice soft and tone filled with disbelief but he urged her to tell her that it was so. That what we just heard was the truth and not just a figment of our imagination.

Detective Gleeson held a smile on his face as he said the words that solidified everything, the fear and worry vanishing as he confirmed what I had believed from the minute I looked at the picture of the little boy that Hestia showed us. "You are Percy's biological parents."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Well there's the chapter, it's official, that's their son. Anyway, the next chapter I'm going to get started on tomorrow so hopefully I should have it done soon but no promises. Thanks for sticking with me, I'll see you again hopefully sooner rather than later._


	7. Preparations and Guidance

Everything Has Changed

 _ **A/N:**_ _Well guys its been a while since inspiration hit for this fic but it has and I've been writing and managed to finish this chapter and get a start on the next. Hopefully I get it done soon but anyway, here is the chapter. Enjoy. Forgive any mistakes._

* * *

Chapter Six: Preparations and Guidance

...:: _Poseidon POV_ ::...

It was safe to say that I was both shocked and not at the same time.

I knew deep within myself that he was our boy, that the little boy I saw was my son but a big part of me thought believed that there was a possibility that Sally and I were hoping for the impossible...

But that wasn't the case.

Percy was my son.

Percy was our son.

The reality hit me. our baby boy was almost five years old, we'd missed so much of his life. We missed hearing his first cry. Missed holding him in our arms for the first time. Missed hearing him say his first word and take his first steps. Missed teaching him how to ride a bike or missed dropping him off on his first day of preschool. We'd missed four birthdays with our son.

I felt Sally's hand rest on mine which was seated on her shoulder. I felt the tear rolling down my cheek before I even knew I was crying. My heart was heavy the pain was something that I never believed I would ever feel in my life. Questions raced through my mind as Sally squeezed my hand, letting me know that she felt the same without even having to look at me.

Why?

I move and take a seat next to Sally, taking her hand in mind as I look at Hestia and the detective and ask, "What do we do now?" my voice was quieter than expected but my question was seemingly what Sally wanted to ask.

Hestia sighed as she sat down pulled out a folder and made sure she had on her reading glasses as she skimmed through the pages before she found what she was looking for, "Well this is the issue we have to deal with. Legally, Themis is Percy's adoptive mother so she hold parental rights over Percy."

"But we are his biological parents, we have rights over him don't we?" Sally inquired, her voice strong and unwavering.

"That's the issue." Gleeson spoke, "Themis basically striped you of your rights when she adopted Percy but with this case against both her and her so child abuse, neglect and a number of other things, she is obviously unfit to raise Percy but by state law, Percy has to be put into the foster care system."

"But this is where I come in." Hestia said with a calm and collected smile, "By being his biological parents you have first right to adopt him and legally change his name to his birth name."

"So we have to adopt our own son?" I say with a raised eyebrow, shock and confusion pretty evident within me.

"Yes." Hestia said calmly. "For now Percy has be placed under the care of Helios and Selene but legally, Themis is still his guardian so we have to get her to sign over her guardianship rights to Helios and Selene which Gleeson is currently getting done. He spoke with the judge who is in the process of getting a court order issued that she must sign over her rights."

"So after she signs our son over to them, what's next?" Sally inquired, squeezing my hand to assure both herself and I as we looked into each other's eyes.

"Whilst that is being done, we are going to have you put on file, saying you wish to foster a child so that whilst the signing over of rights is being done so that we can get someone to come and do an inspection of living standards." Hestia explained as she placed a stack of papers on the table. "What I am planning we do is have you become foster parents for Percy because I know you want him to come as soon as possible but the adoption process will take an extended period of time."

"Can you explain what you mean?" I asked, this whole situation confusing me. one minute we are being told we are adopting, and the next, we are becoming foster parents.

"I know the both of you." Hestia said calmly, reaching up and pulling off her glasses to rub her eyes as she sighed, "You want him to come home as soon as possible. The only way to get him as soon as possible is for you to become his foster parents. Legally by fostering him, it's a start into the adoption process where you legally make him you son by the law." I could see Hestia was getting slightly frustrated, "By fostering him, he's there with you already so you can start the long and arduous adoption process. You'd only be waiting a short while to get him by fostering him but trying to straight up adopt him could takes months. Which would you prefer?"

I look at Sally and can see her brain rapidly processing everything that Hestia was saying but Detective Hedge spoke up.

"This is easier because he isn't a baby. The adoption process is difficult for a baby, he is your son, we have the results to prove it, and his guardian is going to be a convicted criminal of child abuse and neglect." He said in his gruff voice, standing up and walking up to the two of us and held out a picture of Percy, "Do you want your child to be living in the foster house of another family whilst you wait for him to be approved by the law as your son."

"No. I want my son. I want him to come home." Sally whispered, her voice full of emotion as she squeezed my hand. "I'll do whatever we have to but I want my son, no matter how long it takes to give him our name, as long as he is home... with us, I will do anything."

And I knew I felt the same as I looked to my sister, "What do we need to do for this fostering of our son?" I asked, feeling a little emotional at myself as I leaned on my knees.

"You have to fill in these forms I have with me and I will get them forwarded and moved quickly. Once that is done, a house inspection will happen a few days later so that means you need to clear a space for Percy and be as prepared as possible for the inspection." Hestia said calmly, "That mean that you have to clear out the things from Percy's old room and make it into a room for a five year old as well as child proof the apartment."

"We're going to need help then." Sally said softly as our gazes met. "We have to tell the others" By others I knew who she meant. My brothers, sister, our friends. "We have the results now, so we can tell them the situation now."

I nodded as I gripped her hand, "Is there anything else we need to know and expect."

"They will do a background check on you both to determine if they are sure you can provide for him which we know you can. You have to prepare in terms of the future. Plans for Percy's tuition since he will need to finish kindergarten as well as primary school." Hestia explained calmly shifting through her bag, "They will also need to know about income and since you guys are finishing your final year of University and Poseidon already has a stable job that provides income, they will appreciate that since you are hard working and determined, the both of you."

This is honestly really complicated and the longer she explained what we were needing to do, the more complicated and overwhelming everything got but I kept a level head because this was my son. This was our son so no matter how much stuff we had to go through, no matter how overwhelming the situation may seem, the end result would be worth it because it meant we were getting out son. that is what mattered to me and I was damn well going to make sure we got our son back.

"After that, they will see how you interact with Percy before they give the approval or not but with the given situation, they may not even need to see you interact with Percy because you have witnesses who can vouch and the given situation will convince the judge to approve it for Percy's sake." Hestia was cool calm and collected, it made me wonder how mentally and emotionally strong she had to be in order to do this kind of work she does.

Seeing my sister in her element made me admire her more, made me admire how strong and brace she was when it came to seeing abused and neglected children. How she dealt with finding them a home, giving them happiness and dealing with grief stricken and hurt parents and newly wishing to adopt or foster families. She had really done a lot in terms of studies to acquire the career she is in and it is admirable how well she has done for herself.

"Let's do it." I say firmly, knowing that this is going to be a long journey but we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get our son home.

"Well I have spoken with the university and they have allowed you to leave class early to fill in these forms for us so I can get them submitted asap." Hestia said as she slid the stack of papers towards us, a comforting smile on her face. "Let's begin."

* * *

 **The next day**

...:: _Sally POV_ ::...

Tuesday was the freest of my days which I was thankful for because I had been allowed to come home before lunch and as had Poseidon who had taken the afternoon off. Yesterday we'd come home and spent hours going through the paperwork with Hestia and Gleeson and my mother and Uncle had opted to come and help.

We'd also been discussing and organising to bring a single bed and other necessities for Percy's room for when the inspector comes to do the inspection. We haven't heard from Hestia yet about whether or not we'd been approved for the inspector to come but we had to be focused on our task today.

My family had offered to help with what we were doing but this is something Poseidon and I needed to do for ourselves.

I stood outside the door with the key in hand, Poseidon standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders. I never realised how much emotion had been put in the back until I stood in front of the door that would have been Percy's bedroom growing up has this not happened. I never knew if I would ever do what I was going to do, I guess it was more of a mental way to torture and blame myself, seeing what could have been but what wasn't.

"Are you ready to do this, Sally?" Poseidon asked with a worried tone. "I know this is something that our therapist said would put a lot of strain on you emotionally so if you don't want to do this I can do it with your mom and uncle."

I smiled sadly, I knew that my recovering after losing Percy had been an emotional one. I was in such a dark place for so long, it took me years to recover but not enough to the point where I could actually step into this room and pack the past away. Inside, I was still dying but not dead like I was once upon a dream. Now this happened and I didn't know if I was ready for this but I had to be.

This was the only way I was going to be able to recover. "I need to do this... but I need you there with me." I whispered as I inserted the key into the keyhole and turned, opening the door to the world that I had thought that I had left behind and would never have again.

It was still a mess from the day we found out that my son never died like we'd been told. I took a deep breath and looked at the folded up boxes under my arm and let out a shaky breath as I walked into the room, Poseidon following behind me as I set the down. "it's time to say good bye to the past and hello to the future."

"Do we know what we want to do with his stuff?" Poseidon asked softly as he started on fixes a large box together with a might marker in his teeth.

"I don't know. Donate it I guess. It's not like we're going to need it." I didn't realize how bitter that actually sounded. Poseidon cupping my cheek brought me back to reality.

"We can always save it for the future for when we try again... or for if we want to... I don't know... maybe one day we could adopt." Poseidon was hesitant and quiet as he spoke and I perfectly understood the reasons why. "I don't just think we can get rid of it in case we have another child because you and I both know we want another baby one day."

I sighed and turned to Poseidon, feeling my eyes starting to water, "There's no guarantees, no assurances, and according to the doctor there isn't even a possibility of it happening." I always wanted a baby, a family and knowing that I may not ever be able to get pregnant ever again hurt and killed me on the inside.

"But there is a chance Sally. Even if you cant, we can always adopt or if we want another child of our blood we could use a surrogate mother if it comes to that." Poseidon said as he cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs wiping away my tears. "you were born to be a mother and born to have a family."

"If that is true why did the fates take away our son from us for almost five years." I cried, feeling Poseidon pull me into his arms, my cheek resting against his chest. "We were prepared and ready and willing but they took our son from us and we missed so much of his life that we will never get back."

"I know it hurts but we have no control over fate." Poseidon was calm and just full of love and assurance. "Maybe they decided that we weren't emotionally ready to raise a child when we were still children ourselves. Its a cruel reality but they have given us a second chance to look after our son like we wished we had been."

I pull away and look into Poseidon's eyes that were glassed over and I looked deep into them and saw all the honesty and love that he could muster in them.

"I know it hurts and it kills me too." He cupped my face in his hands and leaned his forehead against mine. "But we have a stronger bond, a stronger love and better understanding of life. We've grown up into something stronger and now we can do what needs to be done. We are gonna do right by our son." He promised, "We won't give up on him and we wont give up on each other. Everything will be alright.'

The reassuring smile he gives me instantly make me smile which makes his smile grown a little more as I lean forward and brush my lips against his, my smile growing when he gives me a light peck back.

"Thank you." I whispered when we separated. "I don't know what I would've down without you Poseidon. You are the light of my life and my beacon of hope that's brought me back from the dark times."

"I'd do anything to keep you. I know it took me some time in the beginning but the moment I realized I wanted you and no one else was the moment I promised I would be there for you, protect you and love you with every ounce of my being." I loved when he got like this, passionate and spoken, "Sally when it comes to you, the word love doesn't even truly describe my feelings for you. We've had a rocky road to get here but we've done it together and we will be together for a long time to come. We're in this together you and I."

I smile and nod as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a warm and comforting embrace. We stand in our own little bubble, our own little world, oblivious to the world around us. I ignored the vibrating phone in my pocket because I just wanted to be here with Poseidon and that is what mattered right in this moment.

Later on I would see on my phone a message that would confirm everything Poseidon and I needed to know.

* * *

 **Hey Sally**

 **Its Hestia. It's been approved. The inspection will happen Friday so be ready.**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _hey guys, I know its been lord knows how long its been since I updated, I'm sorry_ _about the wait but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will hopefully see you soon with the next chapter. Thanks for sticking round. I love you guys._


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